Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Activities of Phenolic Compounds Isolated from Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. grown in Egypt

Three phenolic compounds: [chavicol-beta-rutinoside], [1,2, di-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-4-allylbenzene] and [(4E)-1,5-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-penten-1-ol], were isolated from Alpinia zerumbet 80% methanolic extract. The compounds were identified by physical and spectroscopic data, PC, TLC, EI/Ms and H-1-NMR and comparing the obtained data with that published ones. The total methanolic extracts and the isolated compounds were subjected for hepatoprotection investigation using In-vitro rat hepatocytes monolayer culture. The alcoholic extract exerted the highest hepatoprotective activity followed by the ethyl acetate and the chloroform fractions. The ethyl acetate fraction, and the isolated compounds showed high antioxidant activity. Compound (3) [(4E)-1,5-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-penten-1-ol] showed the highest antioxidant potential.