Abstract

Holostemma ada-kodien Schult. (family Asclepiadaceae), commonly known as adapathiyan is a laticiferous climber and a medicinally very important plant with therapeutic and pharmacological properties.This plant is beneficial for external use in various skin diseases, wounds and inflammation of the skin. The latex of Holostemma is applied on blisters and the plant as a whole is exploited for maintaining youthful vigour, strength and vitality. It is having antipyretic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic and antidiabetic properties. The present study was to evaluate the preliminary phytochemical screening of latex and the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of latex protease of Holostemma ada-kodien.The cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activities were evaluated to determine the promising mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of latex protease. The preliminary phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract of the latex showed positive result for reducing sugar, glycosides, flavanoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids,saponins,iridoids,tannin and phlobatannin. The evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity by the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (79.20 % and 71.63 % at sample concentration of 100 μg/ml and 50μg/ml) and 5- lipoxygenase (92.93 % and 79.60 % at sample concentration of 100 μg/ml and 50μg/ml ) showed that the latex protease possess good anti-inflammatory activity. Thus the use of latex in the treatment of wounds and blisters becomes effective use to the presence of the protease along with other secondary metabolites. Further isolation and purification of secondary constituents can lead to the identification of potent phytochemicals that may contribute towards the anti-inflammatory activity.

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