STUDY ON THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PLANT, NYCTANTHES ARBORTRITIS (HARSINGAR) ON PROMASTIGOTE FORM OF LEISHMANIA DONOVANI IN IN-VITRO CONDITION.

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a group of disease caused by kinetoplast protozoa of the genus Leishmania, comprising a group of unicellular organisms which are intracellular parasites of macrophage and other phagocytic cells of the reticuloendothelial system. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar a vectorborne parasitic disease (Chang, KP.; et.al, 1985). In India since ancient period the traditional methods of treatment are based on the principles of ayurveda and naturopathy. Considering the aforesaid facts, I have selected some medicinal plant for the herbal treatment of Kala-azar. The plant products or plant extracts will certainly be economical and easy to reach than the allopathic drugs. Therefore, aim is to search a plant which is locally available and without any side effect for the treatment to Kala-azar (Mishra P. 2008; W.H.O. Tropical diseases 2008. Effects of Nyctanthes arbor-tritis plant is already reported as antibacterial property therefore I have tested extracts of such plant on promastigote form of Leishmania donovani in in-vitro condition. Phytochemical screening of the plant extract showed the presence of alkaloid, avonoid, xed oil and fats, saponin, tannin and phenolic compounds. The selected plant is freely available every where known as Harsingar, obtained from Gaya, Bihar region & their methanolic extracts has been prepared in the laboratory through Soxhlet apparatus in methanol solvent to use during experiment. The effects of plant extracts on the parasite will be studied by providing variable doses to the parasite. The plant extracts at varied concentration will be added into media containing the parasite in the ratio between extract & media determined during experimentation in the laboratory. After incubation at different time intervals of 24, 48 and 72 hours the effect of extracts on the parasite had been studied in-vitro condition. The plant extracts exhibit that with the increasing duration of time the efcacy of the plant extracts also increases signicantly in NA taken into the consideration