Screening for the Key Hepatoprotective Constituent From <i>Odontites vulgaris</i> Moench

The aim of the present study was to screen for the key hepatoprotective constituents of Odontites vulgaris Moench. As a result, the D30 elution fraction, separated by D101 macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography, had the most prominent protective effect on carbon tetrachloride-damaged HepG2 cells, the most significant 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging ability, and the highest total phenol and total flavonoid contents, indicating that the D30 elution fraction may be the active fraction for liver protection. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography analyses revealed that ipolamiide, 8-epiloganin, and acteoside were the main components. Results of the bioactivity evaluation demonstrated that acteoside had hepatoprotective activity, with a half-maximal effective concentration value of 35.32 ± 5.33 µM. Results of network pharmacology and molecular docking showed that acteoside had an affinity binding energy of -6.53 and -5.59 kcal/mol to matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) and HSP90AA1, respectively, indicating good binding between acteoside and MMP-12 and HSP90AA1. All the findings in the present study reveal that acteoside may be the key hepatoprotective constituent of O vulgaris, which deserves further study.