Protective effect of polyherbal formula nalpamaram on the ethanol-induced toxicity in Hep G2 cell lines

Plants are rich sources of bioactive secondary metabolites with well-established antioxidant and therapeutic properties. Nalpamaram, a classical Ayurvedic formulation composed of the barks of four Ficus species—Ficus racemosa, Ficus microcarpa, Ficus benghalensis and Ficus religiosa—is traditionally credited with cooling, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. Despite its long-standing use in Ayurvedic medicine, its hepatoprotective potential has not been scientifically validated. Since hepatic disorders are closely associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, the presence of antioxidant phytochemicals in Nalpamaram suggests possible liver-protective effects. In this study, the hepatoprotective activity of the aqueous extract of Nalpamaram (NMAE) was evaluated using human hepatoma (Hep G2) cells, an established in-vitro model for screening hepatoprotective agents. Hep G2 cells retain key biochemical and morphological characteristics of normal hepatocytes and are suitable for assessing cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and protective effects of medicinal plant extracts. The present investigation assessed the ability of NMAE to protect Hep G2 cells from ethanol-induced toxicity by examining changes in cell viability, apoptosis and oxidative stress markers. The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the hepatoprotective potential of NMAE and highlight the need for further mechanistic and in-vivo evaluations to substantiate its therapeutic relevance.