ASSESSMENT OF FOOD, ETHNOBOTANICAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF TRICHOSANTHES CUCUMIRINA L.

International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research.(2014). 5(7). (Accepted)

PRAKASH KUMAR TRIPATHY, SANJEET KUMAR AND PADAN KUMAR JENA

sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com
 

Trichosanthes cucumirina L., locally known as “Chachindra” among the tribal and rural mass of Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) forest. Plant parts are used as ethnomedicine among inhabitants of SBR. They use the fruits, leaves and roots against various diseases and traditional practices are continuing since long. Leaves are used against microbial infections, roots against diabetic and fruits against killing of stomach worm. Young fruits are used as vegetables as well as medicine. Keeping this traditional practice in view, assessment of food values and antibacterial properties were done. Fruits are rich with carbohydrate (26.24 %), lipid (2.20 %), protein (1.50 %), fiber (1.96 %) and good amount of moisture. Plant parts showed diverse bioactive compounds such as tannin, saponin, and flavonoid present in most of extracts of leaves, fruits and roots of T. cucumirina L. The antibacterial activity of plant extracts showed excellent against MTCC 1252, MTCC 1457, MTCC 3906, MTCC 1926, MTCC *497. Presents study highlights the nutritional, ethnobotanical and antibacterial activity of the plant and emphasis upon the conservation of this bioresource in the state in general and SBR in particular.

Key Words: Trichosanthes cucumirina L. Ethnobotany, food values, antibacterial activity, Similipal Biosphere Reserve

Toxicity of crude plant extracts using an indicator crustacean: Sea Monkey (Artemia salina)

Sanjeet Kumar 
sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com  
Department of Botany, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack- 753 003, Odisha

Plant species are very useful in traditional medicinal systems. Plants possess many secondary metabolites, which play a lead role in pharmacology. Plants also contain some toxic substances which need to be detected and analysed. The toxic substances are harmful to human health in various ways.  Therefore specific technique or scientific methods are needed for detection of toxicity level of plant extracts for appropriate formulation of either traditional or synthetic drug formulation.  For toxicity test, researchers have been using many mammals and other animals. This laboratory test is very costly and more important is the fact that they need ethical recommendation. Artemia salina, commonly known as Sea Monkey, is a brachiopod crustacean. It is suitable alternative to the toxicity testing of mammals in the laboratory. It has diverse characters which make it a good indicator for toxicity test such as adaptability to wide ranges of salinity, temperature (6 °C to 35 °C), short life cycle and parthenogenatic reproduction strategy. Many toxicity reports of plant extracts are available using this test organism in literature. Krishnaraju et al., (2005) reported the toxicity of some Indian medicinal plants using Brine Shrimp Lethality test. Kumar et al., (2012) reported the toxicity of Bixa orellana using Artemia salina. Bhatanagar et al., (2012) reported the toxic activity of Combretum roxburghii using Artemia salina. Mirzai and Mirzai, (2013) documented the bioassay for toxicity of Iranian medicinal plants using Artemia salina and Artemia uramiana.  The mortality rate of the organisms is directly proportional to the toxicity level of plant extract in a particular concentration. Present work highlights the uses of Artemia salina in toxicity test of plant extracts.

Key Words: Artemia salina, Toxicity, Plant Extracts