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ObjectiveThe purpose of the study is to investigate potential of antioxidant property of ethanolic root extract of Asparagus racemosus Linn (EEAR).MethodsIn vitro evaluation antioxidant property of EEAR was done using various methods like DPPH scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, and nitric oxide scavenging activity. HPTLC fingerprint analysis was performed for qualitative determination of possible number of components from the ethanolic extract. Acute toxicity study was performed in Wistar rat and an OECD guideline 423 was followed.ResultsThe yield value was found 0.96% from EEAR. A concentration of 468.57 ± 3.002 μg/ml of probable antioxidant material from EEAR was required to scavenge 50% of DPPH. The IC50 value of EEAR were found to be 508.17 ± 7.37 μg and 416.57 ± 5.08 μg when determined by hydroxyl radical and nitric oxide scavenging assay respectively. The reducing powers of EEAR was 0.295 ± 0.0037 at 125 μg/ml and increased to 0.934 ± 0.0005 at 500 μg/ml. HPTLC fingerprint data supports several basic informations like isolation, purification, quality evaluation and standardization. No sign of toxicity was observed after treated with 2000 mg/kg of EEAR.ConclusionThe obtained data highlight the potential role of EEAR as a source of natural antioxidants.

Discovery and development of new potentially selective anticancer agents are necessary to prevent a global cancer health crisis. Currently, alternative medicinal agents derived from plants have been extensively investigated to develop anticancer drugs with fewer adverse effects. Among them, steroidal alkaloids are conventional secondary metabolites that comprise an important class of natural products found in plants, marine organisms and invertebrates, and constitute a judicious choice as potential anti‐cancer leads. Traditional medicine and modern science have shown that representatives from this compound group possess potential antimicrobial, analgesic, anticancer and anti‐inflammatory effects. Therefore, systematic and recapitulated information about the bioactivity of these compounds, with special emphasis on the molecular or cellular mechanisms, is of high interest. In this review, we methodically discuss the in vitro and in vivo potential of the anticancer activity of natural steroidal alkaloids and their synthetic and semi‐synthetic derivatives. This review focuses on cumulative and comprehensive molecular mechanisms, which will help researchers understand the molecular pathways involving steroid alkaloids to generate a selective and safe new lead compound with improved therapeutic applications for cancer prevention and therapy. In vitro and in vivo studies provide evidence about the promising therapeutic potential of steroidal alkaloids in various cancer cell lines, but advanced pharmacokinetic and clinical experiments are required to develop more selective and safe drugs for cancer treatment.

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