No abstract

Objective: Continued exploration and bio-evaluation of plants hold good as there are an increasing demand and recognition of natural products in disease management. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antiproliferative activity of methanolic extracts of different parts of six plants. Six plants -Couroupita guianensis, Flacourtia jangomas, Lucuma nervosa, Euphorbia milii, Acalypha hispida, and Hydnocarpus pentandra -were chosen for this study. Methods:The plant parts were extracted with methanol and screened for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging abilities. The cytotoxic activity of the extracts was investigated on SCC9 and Calu6 through MTT assay, and cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry to determine the antiproliferative activity of the extracts. The flower extract of F. jangomas was further subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis for purification of the compounds of interest. A twoway ANOVA was done to estimate the effect of the extract between samples remembered at p<0.05 level.Results: Among all the plant extracts, the extract of F. jangomas (flower) showed significant antioxidant potential with IC 50 values of 11.16±0.54 µg/ml and 12.34±0.37 µg/ml for DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. GC-MS analysis of the extract revealed the presence of 21 phytocompounds. MTT assay revealed that this extract had promising cytotoxic activity against the two cancer cell lines, Calu6 and SCC9 with IC 50 values of 43.57±0.04 µg/ml and 53.42±0.15 µg/ml, respectively. The extract treatment caused significant arrest in G 2 M phase of cell cycle. Conclusion:F. jangomas flower extract displayed significant antioxidant and antiproliferative activity and can be considered as a potential source of anticancer compounds.

Objective: The search for various phytotherapeutic compounds is on rise due to a complex multifactorial phenomenon called drug resistance. The present study investigates the cytotoxic, antioxidant, and antiproliferative potential of methanolic extracts of Clitorea ternatea, Averrhoa bilimbi, Phyllanthus acidus, Tecoma stans, Curcuma aromatica, Anethum graveolens, Adhatoda vasica, Markhamia lutea, Spathodea companulata, and Adenanthera pavonina.Methods: The plant parts were extracted with methanol and screened for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging abilities. The cytotoxic activity of the extracts was investigated on HeLa and HCT116 cells through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry to determine the antiproliferative activity of the extracts. The stem extract of A. pavonina was further subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis for purification of the compounds of interest. A two-way ANOVA was done to estimate the effect of the extract between samples remembered at p<0.05 level.Results: Among all the studied samples, the extract of A. pavonina (stem) showed significant scavenging activity of 70.23% and 76.32% of scavenging compared to 74.58 % and 81.13% of that of reference standard in ABTS and DPPH assay, respectively. GC-MS analysis of the extract revealed the presence of 17 phytocompounds. MTT assay revealed that this extract (SB19) had promising cytotoxic activity against the two cancer cell lines, HCT116 and HeLa with inhibitory concentration 50% IC50 values of 25.86±0.21 μg/ml and 39.89±0.11 μg/ml, respectively. The extract treatment caused significant arrest in G2M phase of cell cycle.Conclusion: A. pavonina (stem) extract displayed significant antioxidant and antiproliferative activity and can be considered as a potential candidate drug for anticancer studies.

Plants continuously struggle for survival under various environmental abiotic stress conditions, specifically high temperature. Fourteen-day-old seedlings of Cassia tora and Cassia auriculata were subjected to differential temperature stress treatments at 30ºC, 37ºC, 42°C and 44°C for 16 h each. Various biochemical parameters viz reducing sugars, total protein, chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme system were assessed and found to be increased under high temperature stress. The amount of reducing sugars, total protein and chlorophyll were remarkably increased in both the Cassia species at 42ºC. The POX activity was more profound in C. tora (0.41 U/mg) than C. auriculata (0.24 U/mg) at 42°C. However, the activity of Catalase in both the species recorded a similar effect with a maximum value of 0.39 and 0.43 U/mg in C. tora and C. auriculata respectively. Similarly, SOD percentage inhibition activity increased significantly at 42°C for C. tora and C. auriculata showing a noticeable trend of inhibition of 85.23% and 86.89% respectively. Thus it can be concluded that various osmolytes and an efficient antioxidative system play a key role in generating tolerance against temperature stress and maintaining homeostasis to withstand the maximum range for survival at 42ºC in Cassia seedlings.