Chemical profiling of Salix babylonica leaf extracts using HPLC-ESI-MS and their in-vivo anti-hepatotoxic effect
Bibliographic Information
Authors: Morsi E.A.; Elsayed M.M.; Abdel-Hameed E.-S.S.; Osman E.E.-S.A.-L.; Abou-Shousha T.; Abdel-Hady H.
Journal: South African Journal of Botany
Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: September 2026
Volume / Issue: Volume 196
Pages: 465–476
ISSN: 2546299
DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2026.06.006
Scopus: View on Scopus
Document Type: Article
Authors and Affiliations
Morsi E.A., Medicinal Chemistry Department, Theodor Bilharz Research institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O Box 30, Giza, 12411, Egypt; Elsayed M.M., Medicinal Chemistry Department, Theodor Bilharz Research institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O Box 30, Giza, 12411, Egypt; Abdel-Hameed E.-S.S., Medicinal Chemistry Department, Theodor Bilharz Research institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O Box 30, Giza, 12411, Egypt; Osman E.E.-S.A.-L., Medicinal Chemistry Department, Theodor Bilharz Research institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O Box 30, Giza, 12411, Egypt; Abou-Shousha T., Pathology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O Box 30, Giza, 12411, Egypt; Abdel-Hady H., Medicinal Chemistry Department, Theodor Bilharz Research institute, Warrak El-Hadar, Imbaba, P.O Box 30, Giza, 12411, Egypt
Abstract
The present study aims to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of the methanolic extract of Salix babylonica leaves on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced hepatic damage in Swiss albino mice. Forty-eight male mice were divided into six groups, with eight mice in each group. The mice were treated with the methanolic extract of S. babylonica at doses of 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg body weight orally by gavage for 7 days, and then received CCl₄ (1 mL/kg, i.p.) on day 7. Silymarin (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was given as the reference drug. The hepatoprotective effect was studied by assaying the activities of serum marker enzymes, including AST, ALT, ALP, total bilirubin, and total protein, as well as antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, MDA, SOD, GPx, and GSH. Additionally, histopathological analysis was performed on liver tissue. The composition of the extracts was later investigated using LC-ESI-MS. The activities of all the marker enzymes showed a significant elevation in CCl₄-treated mice, which were significantly recovered towards an almost normal level in animals co-administered with the methanolic extract of S. babylonica leaves at doses of 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg. Additionally, it enhanced antioxidant levels and reduced oxidative stress. Histopathological analysis confirmed the biochemical findings. The results of LC-ESI-MS analysis showed a total of 60 polyphenolic compounds were categorised as twenty-nine phenolic acids, six aryl β-d-glucosides, twenty-two flavonoids, one apocarotenoid, one xanthone and one unknown compound, which may exhibit a respectable effect against hepatotoxicity. Methanol extract of S. babylonica showed significant hepatoprotective activity against liver injury, which may be due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties because of its high content of phenolic compounds, which possess potent radical-quenching abilities. © 2026 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of SAAB.
Keywords
CCl<sub>4</sub>; Flavonoids; Hepatoprotective; Phenolic acids; Salix babylonica
Citation Information
Scopus Citations: 0
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