Evaluation of Diuretic Activity of Argemone mexicana

Abstract

Argemone mexicana is reported to posses alkaloids, amino acids, phenolics and fatty acids as major phytochemical groups. A series of bioactive compounds have been reported and some of them are isolated from different parts of Argemone Mexicana. The whole plant of A. mexicana was reported to posses isoquinoline alkaloids such as berberine, cheilanthifoline, coptisine, muramine, scoulerine, stylopine, cryptopine, thalifone, sanguinarine, protopine, optisine, chelerytherine and benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. tetrahydrober berine, protopine and Benzophenanthridines have been isolated from the plant. Seed oil otherwise called as Argemone oil reported to contain sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine. It also contains palmitic, myristic, oleic and linoleic acids. However, no scientific record is available for the anticonvulsant activity of aerial part of the plant Argemone mexicana. Hence the present study was designed to evaluate these activities of chloroform, ethanol and aqueous extract of Argemone mexicana leaves by using experimental models in mice.