The present study aims to assess the toxic effect of latex and ethanolic leaf extract of Calotropis procera (C. procera), in comparison to abamectin, on serum biomarkers of function and histological integrity of heart and testis in male albino rats. To achieve this aim, the albino rats were separately administered 1/20 and 1/10 of LD50 of C. procera latex, ethanolic C. procera leaf extract and ...

BACKGROUND Over 60% of currently used anti-cancer agents are derived in one-way or another from natural sources, including plants, marine organisms and microorganisms. Calotropis gigantea (Linn.) (Family: Asclepiadaceae) is a perennial shrub and it is used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of various health complications. But there is no report on isolation of anticancerous chemi...

Janakia arayalpatra (Periplocaceae) known to the local kani tribe as 'Amruthapala' is a rare and endemic wild plant species of southern forested region of Western Ghats. The medicinal value of this plant as a potential drug was reported by the authors earlier (on the basis of the information collected from the Kani tribe). Preliminary ethnopharmacological investigation of the plant showed promi...

Antioxidant activity of a selection of commonly occurring wild plants growing in Beni-Sueif governorate, Upper Egypt, has been tested. The plants selected are Tamarix nilotica, Ambrosia maritima, Zygophyllum coccenium, Conyza dioscoridis, Chenopodium ambrosioides, and Calotropis procera. The in vitro antioxidant assays used in this study were 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scaven...

Background and objectives: Cancer is a public health problem all over the world. Herbal medicines have a vital role in the prevention and treatment of cancer and large numbers of plants and their isolated constituents have shown potential anticancer activity. Methods: Twenty seven medicinal plants from southern Iran provinces have been extracted with methanol and screened for their cytotoxic ac...

In the present study we have utilized the Allium cepa root tip meristem model to evaluate the cytotoxic and anti-mitotic activities of latex of Calotropis procera (DL) and podophyllotoxin. Standard cytotoxic drug cyclophosphamide and non-cytotoxic drugs cyprohcptadine and aspirin served as controls. Like cyclophosphamide, both DL and podophyllotoxin significantly inhibited the growth of roots a...