Abstract
Calotropis procera is a medicinal plant whose pharmacological properties are associated with its latex. Here, the Calotropis procera latex fractions were investigated in an attempt to trace its phytochemical profile and measure its anti-inflammatory and toxicity activity. The crude latex was partitioned, yielding five fractions (49.4% hexane, 5.2% dichloromethane, 2.0% ethyl acetate, 2.1% n-butanol, and 41.1% aqueous). Phytochemical screening and spectroscopy analysis revealed that dichloromethane is the most chemically diverse fraction. Triterpenes were detected in both the hexane and dichloromethane fractions, while flavonoids were detected in the dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions. These fractions were cytotoxic to cancer cell lines (LD50 0.05 to 3.9 μg/mL) and lethal to brine shrimp (LD50 10.9 to 65.7 μg/mL). Reduced neutrophil migration in rats was observed in carrageenan-induced peritonitis for the dichloromethane (67%), ethyl acetate (56%), and aqueous (72%) fractions. A positive reaction with tolidine and ninhydrin suggested that cyclopeptides are in the ethyl acetate fraction. It is therefore concluded that Calotropis procera latex dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions exhibit both in vitro and in vivo activities as well as anti-inflammatory properties. Cyclopeptide detection is especially interesting because previous attempts to investigate these low-molecular cyclic amino acid sequences in C. procera have failed.
Highlights
Calotropis procera is a medicinal plant and many pharmacological properties are associated with its latex, which is a rich source of biologically active compounds [1]
Flavonoids, and triterpens were detected in at least two distinct latex fractions (Table 1). Such a profile was previously reported for C. procera latex and other fractions [10, 21]
Studies have reported three new cyclopeptides that exhibited antiinflammatory activity in vitro using the J774.1 macrophage model [49]. These results imply that cyclopeptides from C. procera latex are involved in the ethyl acetate fraction pharmacological properties
Summary
Calotropis procera is a medicinal plant and many pharmacological properties are associated with its latex, which is a rich source of biologically active compounds [1]. The efficacy of C. procera latex for treating inflammation-related disorders, pain, and other ailments, including neoplasia, in folk medicine has garnered scientific support [2,3,4]. A series of studies support latex proteins involvement in the pharmacological properties. Secondary metabolites have been reported in C. procera vegetative tissues and latex, to a lesser extent [10], limited information is available on the pharmacological properties. Fractionated latex has not been extensively investigated for phytochemical or pharmacological properties. This study was aimed at contributing to new insights on the phytochemical profile (cyclopeptides) and biological activities of the C. procera latex organic fractions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
