Phytochemical and pharmacological assessment of leaf extract of Pedalium murex Linn herb

Abstract

Herbal plants have been used to avert and to heal numerous ailments for thousands of years. There are reputable sources of active components using their health beneficial effects, and repeatedly, these sources are materials for gourmet food feastings. Specific bioactive components from the herbs have been established for their anti-neoplastic activities. The herbal plant Pedalium murex Linn (Family: Pedaliaceae) universally known to the world as “Large Caltrops”. The plant is rich in flavonoids, phenolics and glycosides. The key target of the contemporary research was to explore the free radical scavenging, in vitro anti-tumour potential of Pedalium murex Linn leaves in non-polar petroleum ether & polar ethanol solvent extracts. Preliminary phytochemical examination of extracts showed that this plant leaf contains alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroids & tannins. This initial investigation proved that Pedalium murex Linn (95% v/v of ethanol extract) leaves (EEPM) were significantly reduced and inhibit the free radicals. IC 50 values were representing, EEPM possessed strong anti-oxidant activity when compared to petroleum ether extract of Pedalium murex Linn. leaves. In vitro anti-neoplastic activity of EEPM was studied on the two different cancer cell lines such as HCT116, HepG2 by MTT assay method. All the four different doses of EEPM (62.5, 125, 250 & 500 µg/ml) produced significant activity against HepG2 cell lines. It shows that phyto lead molecules such as flavonoids & phenolic compounds existing in the EEPM may be accountable for the anti-cancer activities.