Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus L.) (Family: Apocyanaceae) is a ornamental plants with great medicinal properties. Although it is represented by seven species, little work has been carried out on its genetic characterization due to non-availability of reliable molecular markers. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have been widely applied as molecular markers in genetic studies. With the rapid incre...

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don is a herbal plant traditionally used by local populations in India, South Africa, China and Malaysia to treat diabetes. The present study reports the in vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of the major alkaloids isolated from Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don leaves extract. Four alkaloids--vindoline I, vindolidine II, vindolicine III and vindolinine IV--...

Human activities like mining, transport, agriculture, industrial waste disposal and military actions release inorganic pollutants in high concentrations that are toxic to natural ecosystems. Heavy metal pollution causes potential ecological risk. Heavy metals like Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb) and Chromium (Cr) when present in high concentrations in soil exert potential toxic effects on overall growt...

The present study establishes the analgesic and anti-pyretic activities of the ethanolic extract of leaves of Catharanthus roseus in the models used. Since antipyretic and analgesic activities are commonly mentioned as characteristic of drugs or compounds which have an inhibitory effect on prostaglandin biosynthesis, the yeast induced hyperthermia in rat model was, therefore, employed to invest...

Identification of molecular markers of monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) accumulation in cell-suspension cultures of Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don) was performed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Comparison of the protein patterns from alkaloid-producing and non-producing cells showed the specific occurrence of a 28 kDa polypeptide restricted to c...

Comparative co-expression analysis of multiple species using high-throughput data is an integrative approach to determine the uniformity as well as diversification in biological processes. Rauvolfia serpentina and Catharanthus roseus, both members of Apocyanacae family, are reported to have remedial properties against multiple diseases. Despite of sharing upstream of terpenoid indole alkaloid p...

The potential of botanical extracts such as Celosia argenea L. (Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae), Ricinus communis L. (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), Mikania micrantha Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth (Astrales: Asteraceae), and Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don (Gentianales: Apocynaceae) for the control of Brontispa longissima Gestro was evaluated in a bioassay and semi-field trial. Dose-response bioassa...

Jasmonate (JA) is an important plant stress hormone that induces various plant defense responses, including the biosynthesis of protective secondary metabolites. The induction of the secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene Strictosidine synthase (Str) in Catharanthus roseus (periwinkle) cells by elicitor requires JA as a second messenger. A 42 bp region in the Str promoter is both necessary and ...

The subcellular localization of enzymes involved in indole alkaloid biosynthesis in leaves of Catharanthus roseus has been investigated. Tryptophan decarboxylase and strictosidine synthase which together produce strictosidine, the first indole alkaloid of this pathway, are both cytoplasmic enzymes. S-Adenosyl-l-methionine: 16-methoxy-2,3-dihydro-3-hydroxytabersonine-N-methyltransferase which ca...