Evaluation of membrane stabilizing, cytotoxic and anti-diarrheal activities of leaves of Calotropis Gigantea R.BR.

Abstract

Different partitionates of leaves of Calotropis gigantea were evaluated for membrane stabilizing activity by reduction of hemolysis in hypotonic solution and heated solution along with cytotoxic and anti-diarrheal activities. The first activity was assessed by using erythrocyte in hypotonic solution and heat in which acetyl salicylic acid, the reference standard, gave 71.9 ± 0.004% and 42.2 ± 0.005% inhibition of hemolysis in both conditions, respectively. Among the partitionates of the leave extracts maximum membrane stabilizing activity was revealed by aqueous soluble fraction (63.77 ± 0.022%) in hypotonic solution and petroleum ether soluble fraction (32.62 ± 0.052%) in heat induced condition. In determining cytotoxic activity using brine shrimp nauplii, crude methanol extract showed the most cytotoxicity (LC₅₀ value of 1.79 ± 0.004 μg/ml) among the partitionates whereas the standard vincristine sulphate gave LC₅₀ value of 0.45 ± 0.008 μg/ml. The anti-diarrheal activity of the crude methanol extract was determined on mice using loperamide as standard. The extract exhibited significant anti-diarrheal activity at both doses (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg).