Pharmacognostical Standardization Phytochemical Characterization and Pharmacological studies of selected Herbal Anti Neoplastics

Abstract

Cancer is a serious health problem in the world at large. Existing synthetic cancer chemotherapeutic agents produce serious side effects such as bone marrow suppression, alopecia etc. There is a progressive increasing demand for herbal based cancer preventive agents. Hence in the present dissertation attempts were made to develop an eco-friendly anticancer herbal drug from two selected plant sources Alangium lamarckii Thwaites belonging to the family Alangiaceae and Lannea coromandelica Houtt. And Merr. Belonging to the family Anacardiaceae as these two species are used in Siddha System of Medicine as well as by Tribal for treating various types of cancers. Bark forms the useful part. In the present work after proper identification and authentication bark extracts were subjected to Invitro and Invivo studies to determine the anticancer potentials of these traditional sources. The botanical and chemical standards for the drug is also established which will be useful in identifying these barks in which ever forms they exist. After assessing the identity, purity and strength of the drug sources, extracts of the bark were prepared as per standard procedures and subjected to Invitro and Invivo anticancer screening against Dalton s Lymphoma Ascites cell lines (DLA) and Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma cell lines (EAC). The compounds in the extract were fractionated employing column chromatography and subjected to Anti cancer screening. Both the bark extract showed potent cytotoxity against EAC cell lines and the IC 50 value was found to be low in Lannea coromandelica (550 and#956;g/ml and 800and#956;g/ml methonal and ethanol extracts) as compared to IC50 value of Alangium lamarckii (600and#956;g/ml and 850and#956;g/ml,) methanol and ethanol extracts against DLA cell lines. Both extracts showed potent cytotoyxic activity and IC50 value was found to be low in Lannea coromandelica compared to Alangium Lamarckii. The restoration of hematological and bio chemical parameters to near normalcy further confirmed the anticancer potential of the isolated compounds.