PICRORHIZA KURROA ROYLE EX BENTH: UNLOCKING ITS HEPATOPROTECTIVE POTENTIAL THROUGH PHYTOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR INSIGHTS

Abstract

Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. is an endangered medicinal herb of Himalayas used extensively in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disorders. The review describes the botanical characters, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical constituents, pharmacological activities and hepatoprotective mechanisms. The plant is a good source of bioactive iridoid glycosides, especially picroside I, picroside II, kutkoside, apocynin and androsin, which show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, immunomodulatory and lipid regulating properties. These phytoconstituents offer hepatoprotective effects by decreasing oxidative stress, reducing inflammation, inhibiting apoptosis and regulating the lipid metabolism in the liver. Molecular docking studies also confirm the hepatoprotective potential of these compounds especially kutkoside by favorable binding to key liver related targets. Evidence-based therapeutic development of P. kurroa requires sustainable conservation, quality control standardization, and further pre-clinical and clinical studies.