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PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA L.: A MINI REVIEW

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In recent times the blind dependence on synthetics has got over and people are returning to the naturals with hope of safety and security. Herbs are thus staging a comeback as the only solution to insidious and debilitating effects of synthetic drugs. Plumbago zeylanica is one such important medicinal plant which is being used the world over in the traditional system of medicines. With a herbal 'renaissance' occurring across the globe, the plant is being used extensively in commercial preparations of medicines owing to its wide range of biological activities. The present study summarizes our current knowledge of botany, major bioactives, traditional and medicinal uses of P zeylanica as a foreword to further studies on mass propagation of this valuable species.
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International Journal of Pharmaceutical Applications
ISSN 0976-2639.Online ISSN 2278 – 6023
Vol 3, Issue 3, 2012, pp 399-405
http://www.bipublication.com
PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA L.: A MINI REVIEW
Manu Pant*, Ankita Lal, Swati Rana, Anju Rani
Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era University, Dehradun-248002
*
Corresponding author: Email: himaniab@gmail.com, Tel: +91-9917292899 ; Fax: 0135-2644025
[Received-19/06/2012, Accepted-17/08/2012]
ABSTRACT:
In recent times the blind dependence on synthetics has got over and people are returning to the naturals with
hope of safety and security. Herbs are thus staging a comeback as the only solution to insidious and debilitating
effects of synthetic drugs. Plumbago zeylanica is one such important medicinal plant which is being used the
world over in the traditional system of medicines. With a herbal ‘renaissance’ occurring across the globe, the
plant is being used extensively in commercial preparations of medicines owing to its wide range of biological
activities. The present study summarizes our current knowledge of botany, major bioactives, traditional and
medicinal uses of P zeylanica as a foreword to further studies on mass propagation of this valuable species.
Keywords: Plumbago zeylanica, morphology, traditional value, chemical constituents, medicinal properties, in
vitro studies
[I] INTRODUCTION
Plumbago zeylanica L. (Synonym: P.viscosa
Blanco) (chromosome number 2n=24) is a
multipurpose medicinal herb of family
Plumbaginaceae. A native of South Asia, the
species is distributed throughout most of the
tropics and subtropics; growing in deciduous
woodland, savannas’ and scrublands from sea-
level up to 2000 m altitude [1, 2, 3, 4]. The sap
of P. zeylanica causes discoloration of the skin
resembling the colour of lead accounting for its
Latin name Plumbago and the popular name
leadwort. The species is also known by several
names in different parts of the world viz.
bleiwurz/zahnkraut (in German), sanza (in
Swahili), mosikomabe (in Tswana) and ensain
(in Arabia). In India the plant enjoys a wide
distribution ranging from Central India to West
Bengal, Maharashtra and various parts of
Southern India. The plant has several vernacular
names in the country viz. chitraka/chitramol (in
Hindi), chitra (in Sanskrit), agni/vahini (in
Gujarati), chitramula (in Kannada), chitrakmula/
bilichitramula (in Malyalam), veellakeduveli (in
Punjabi), chitra (in Bengali), chita (in Tamil),
kodiveli/chitramoolam (in Telugu) [3]. The trade
name, however, remains to be Chitraka [5, 6].
1.1 Morphology
There is no consistency in the literature citing
the classification of P. zeylanica as herb or
shrub. Some authors have described it as a
perennial dicot herb [7,8] while it has also been
designated as a shrub by others [9].P. zeylanica
plant attains a height of about 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6
ft) (Figure 1A). The leaves are alternate, simple,
ovate or ovate-lanceolate, elliptical or oblong,
0.5–12 cm in length with a tapered base and
often with a hairy margin. The stipules are
PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA L.: A MINI REVIEW
Manu Pant, et al. 400
absent and the petiole is narrow (0–5 mm long)
with small auricles in young leaves.
The inflorescence is of terminal raceme-type
about 6–30 cm long and many-flowered.
Flowers are white in colour [4, 7] and are borne
in axillary and terminal elongated spikes (Figure
1B, C). They are bisexual, regular, pentamerous,
pedicellate and sweet-scented. The stamens are
free, included. The style is filiform with five
elongated stigma lobes and the ovary is superior,
single-celled. The flowers are also characterized
by having a tubular calyx (7–11 mm long and 5-
ribbed) with glandular trichomes (hair) secreting
a sticky mucilage. The plant flowers round the
year and pollination is primarily by insects. The
mucilaginous glands aid in trapping insects and
fruit dispersal by animals.
The fruit of the plant is an oblong (7.5–8 mm
long) five-furrowed capsule containing single
seed. Each seed is oblong in structure, 5–6 mm
long and reddish- brown to dark brown in
colour. Roots are straight, smooth, branched or
unbranched, with or without secondary roots and
about 30 cm or more in length and 6 cm in
diameter [3]. They are light- yellow when fresh
and become reddish-brown on drying. The roots
have a strong and characteristic odour with acrid
and bitter taste [7].
1.2 Traditional Uses
P. zeylanica is a popular medicinal herb
throughout Africa and Asia. It has been used as
a remedy for skin diseases, infections and
intestinal worms viz. leprosy, scabies, ringworm,
hookworm, dermatitis, acne, sores and ulcers
since time immemorial. The traditional systems
of medicine in different parts of the continents
have been utilizing all parts of P. zeylanica for a
variety of treatments. In West Africa the root or
the leaves crushed with lemon juice, are used as
a counter-irritant and vesicant. In Nigeria the
roots pounded with vegetable oil are used as a
treatment for rheumatic swellings. Powdered
bark, root or leaves are used as a conventional
method to treat gonorrhoea, syphilis,
tuberculosis, rheumatic pain, swellings and
wounds treatment system in Ethiopia. In other
regions of Africa a paste of the root in vinegar,
milk and water is used to treat influenza and
black water fever; root infusion is taken orally to
treat shortness of breath; root decoction with
boiled milk is swallowed to treat inflammation
in the mouth, throat and chest. In Mauritius and
Rodrigues a root decoction is also used to treat
diarrhoea and dyspepsia.
In India P. zeylanica commands an important
place among medicinal herbs in India since
ancient times. Ayurveda, the Indian indigenous
system of medicine dating back to the Vedic
ages (1500-8000 BC), has described chitraka as
tumor-negating and anti-dyspepsic. In Charaka
Samhita (an important work on Ayurvedic
system of medicine) P. zeylanica has been
categorized as an appetizer, anti-saturative, anti-
anorexic, anti-haemorrhoidal and pain-reliever
[3]. Herbal medicines such as Dabur Chitrak
Haritaki, Medohar Guggulu, Morslim-Z, Divya
Chandraprabhavati etc. use P. zeylanica extracts
in different amounts (Figure 4).
1.3 Chemical constituents and medicinal
properties
P. zeylanica contains a variety of important
chemical compounds. Different plant parts of the
plant possess naphthaquinones, alkaloids,
glycosides, steroids, triterpenoids, tannins,
phenolic compounds, flavanoids, saponins,
coumarins, carbohydrates, fixed oil and fats and
proteins [1, 10, 11, 12, 13]. Of all the chemical
constituents’ plumbagin is the principle active
compound. Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,
4- naphthoquinone- C
11
H
8
O
3
) is primarily
present in roots in higher amounts with only
about 1% in the whole plant [14]. The important
chemicals reported in P. zeylanica can be
classified as in Figure 5.
A wide range of medicinal properties of P.
zeylanica are attributed to Plumbagin and other
secondary metabolites. Plumbagin has shown
antibacterial activity against both gram-positive
(e.g. Staphylococcus, Streptococcus,
Pneumonococcus sp.) and gram-negative (e.g.
Salmonella, Neisseria) bacteria. It is also active
against certain yeasts and fungi (Candida,
Trichophyton, Epidermophyton and
Microsporum spp.) and protozoa (Leishmania)
[1, 11, 15, 16]. In low concentrations, plumbagin
exhibits antimitotic activity comparable to that
PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA L.: A MINI REVIEW
Manu Pant, et al. 401
of colchicine. Plumbagin also has strong
antifeedant and moulting inhibiting effects on
insects and has nematicidal and acaricidal
activities. The various biological activities
exhibited by P. zeylanica (Table 1) account for
the products of this plant being traded
worldwide as Ayurvedic and homeopathic
medicine.
[II] Propagation
P. zeylanica can be propagated by seeds, rooted
shoots from the base of the plant or by semi-ripe
cuttings, treated with a growth hormone. Seeds
germinate in 21–30 days. However, prolonged
storage of seeds (over 3 months) results in a
drastic decline in germination rate. Sowing seeds
in a nursery with subsequent transplantation into
the field at a density of 60 x 60 cm is a preferred
method of P. zeylanica plants propagation.
Although the species can be grown in a variety
of soils, ranging from red soil, with very little
topsoil, to deep black soil; the plants prefer well
drained/deep sandy loam to clayey loam soil
with high organic content. In natural habitats,
the plants thrive well in moist soil with high
organic content and partially shaded locations
with intermediate to warm temperatures.
However, conventional methods of propagation
have proven to be difficult and inadequate to
meet the escalating demand of plant in market.
This is mainly attributed to poor seed
germination and premature death of seedlings on
plantation under normal conditions [52].
Alternatively, the technique of in vitro
propagation has been successfully utilized for
mass multiplication of this species using nodal
explants, axillary buds, leaf or root explants and
callus cultures (Table 2).
[III] Prospects
Despite a descent hold of P. zeylanica in the
herbal industry and a lot of efforts being made to
develop an alternate method of mass
propagation of the species, unsystematic
collection of plants from the wild continues.
This poses a threat to the existing natural stands
of P. zeylanica. Besides, collection of plants for
medicinal preparations without proper
identification poses a risk of adulteration in
medicinal preparations requiring P. zeylanica as
a major constituent. Rapid multiplication of elite
genotypes through micropropagation and
refining as well as shortening the breeding
process using marker-aided selection positively
contributes to crop improvement. Application of
in vitro developed techniques for large scale
multiplication and subsequent field plantations
shall be immensely useful in meeting the ever
increasing demand of this important medicinal
herb
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S.N. Activity Reference
1.
Anticancer [17], [18], [19]
2.
Acaricidal [20]
3.
Antiarthritic [21]
4.
Anticandidal [22]
5.
Anticonvulsant [4]
6.
Antiallergic [23]
7.
Antibacterial [24], [25], [27],
8.
Antimycotic [25], [27]
9.
Artherosclerotic [28]
10.
Anti-fertility [29], [30], [31]
11.
Anti-diabetic [32]
12.
Antiviral [33]
13.
Hyperlipidaemic [34]
PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA L.: A MINI REVIEW
Manu Pant, et al. 404
14.
Anti-invasive [35]
15.
Antioxidant [36], [37], [38]
16.
Antiplasmodial [39]
17.
Cardiotonic [37], [38]
18.
Cytotoxicity [5]
19.
CNS stimulant [3], [40]
20.
Hepatoprotective [8], [41]
21.
Immunomodulatory [42], [43], [44]
22.
Larvacidal [45]
23.
Neuroprotective [37], [38]
24.
Anti Inflammation [46], [47]
25.
Genotoxicity [48], [49], [50]
26.
Central Dopaminergic [51]
Table 1: Biological activities of P. Zeylanica
Explant Shoot initiation In vitro multiplication Rooting Percent survival
regenerated
plantlets
References
Node 1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.01
mg/l IAA 1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.01
mg/l IAA 1/2X + 0.25 mg/l
IBA 95% [53]
Node 27.2 µ M adenine
sulfate
+2.46 µ M indole-3-
butyric acid (IBA)
27.2 µ M adenine
sulfate
+2.46 µ M indole-3-
butyric acid (IBA)
4.92 µ M IBA 90% [54]
Node 8.87 µmol/L
BAP + 0.49 µmol/L
IBA.
MS 09+ 4.43 µ mol/L
BAP + 0.25 µ mol/L
IBA.
½ X MS + 0.49 µ
mol/L IBA - [55]
Node 6.7 mg/l BA and 1.4
mg/l IAA 4.4 mg/l BA and 1.4
mg/l IAA IBA (1.2 mg/l) 96% [56]
Leaf callus from leaf- 6.7
mg/l BA, 1.42 mg/l
IAA and 160 mg/l
AdS
organogenesis- - 6.7
mg/l BA, 1.42 mg/l
IAA and 160 mg/l AdS
Leaf callus- 2.0 mg/l 2,4-
D organogenesis- BAP
3.5 mg/l + NAA 0.3
mg/l
3.0 mg/l NAA 80% [57]
Node 1.0 mg/l BAP +1.0
mg/l GA3 1.0 mg/l BAP +1.0
mg/l GA3 ½ X 1.0 mg/l BAP
+0.5 mg/l IAA 60% [58]
Nodal 20mg/l BAP+1.5mg/l
IAA+1.0mg/l IBA 2.0 mg/l BAP+1.5mg/l
IAA+1.0 IBA 1.5mg/l
NAA+1.5mg/l
IAA+2.0mg/l IBA
95% [59]
Node and
Shoot tip Liquid MS + 1.0 mg/l
BAP + 0.5 mg/l IBA
+2.0 mg/l Ads
1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.5
mg/l IBA +2.0 mg/l
Ads
1/2X + 0.5 mg/l
NAA 100% [52]
Stem 2.0 mg/l BAP + 1.5
mg/l IAA
0.75 mg·L-1 BAP +
1.0 mg·L-1 IAA + 1.0
NAA + 1.0 mg/l
Ads
Node M4 + 0.4 mg/l NAA + 3.5 mg/l BAP 55% [60]
Embryo 20 mg/l NPK + 20 mg/l citrus sinensis juice 100%
M1 + 0.01 mg/l NAA + 2 BAP 80%
Node 1.5 mg/l BAP+0.75
mg/l IBA + 0.75 mg/l
Ads + 10% coconut
milk
1.5 mg/l BAP+0.75
mg/l IBA + 0.75 mg/l
Ads + 10% coconut
milk
1/2X + 0.75 mg/l
IBA 100% [61]
Node 1.0 mg/l BAP 1.0 mg/l BAP + 0.5
mg/l GA3 1.5 mg/l IBA 90% [4]
Leaf 1.5 mg/l BAP 1.5 1.5 mg/l IBA 90%
Table 2: In vitro propagation studies on P. zeylanica
PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA L.: A MINI REVIEW
Manu Pant, et al. 405
Figure 4: Chemical constituents of Plumbago zeylanica
... This plant has been used for centuries in traditional medicine across Asia and Africa for treating various ailments, including rheumatism, leprosy and digestive disorders. This herb is renowned for its potent medicinal properties and is considered a Rasayan in Ayurveda (Aleem, 2020;Chowdhury et al., 2023;Manu et al., 2012). The root and root bark of this plant are essential components in the preparation of various ayurvedic medications (Vattakaven et al., 2016). ...
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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that lacks targeted therapeutic options due to the absence of estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors. The present study explores the anti-cancer potential of Plumbago zeylanica L. (P. zeylanica), a medicinal plant known for its diverse pharmacological properties. Using a combined approach of network pharmacology and in-vitro experimental validation , present study investigates the bioactive compounds in P. zeylanica and their interactions with molecular targets involved in TNBC progression. Network pharmacology identified 380 potential targets of P. zeylanica and 2890 TNBC-associated targets, intersecting to reveal 129 common targets. Gene enrichment and pathway analyses highlighted key pathways, including EGFR resistance, HIF-1 signaling and breast cancer pathways. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations further supported these findings , revealing strong binding affinities between P. zeylanica compounds, particularly zeylanone and critical proteins like PARP1, ESR1 and HSP90AA1. In-vitro assays on MDA-MB-231 cells showed a dose-and time-dependent reduction in cell viability, with an IC 50 of 90.79 mg/mL. Apoptosis induction was confirmed through Annexin V/PI staining, with 23 % early apoptosis and 0.90 % late apoptosis. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis revealed G1 phase arrest, inhibiting cell proliferation. These results suggest that P. zeylanica is a promising natural therapeutic agent against TNBC, warranting further research for potential clinical applications in cancer treatment.
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Plumbago zeylanica L. (Plumbaginaceae) is a widely accepted medicinal plant. It is an important constituent in various formulations used in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. These earliest documented evidences have now become the basis of modern medicine and an important source for future medicine and therapeutics. Roots of P. zeylanica are a rich source of a naphthoquinone ‘plumbagin’ known to have numerous traditional and ethnobotanical uses, and therapeutic and pharmacological properties. The demand for the roots of P. zeylanica is increasing for plant-based medicines, health products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, etc. in the national and international markets. This growing demand is creating a heavy pressure on the natural plant populations in the wild due to over-harvesting for roots. There is a need to focus on the conservation and cultivation of such medicinal plants used by the pharma-companies and industries considered to be endangered or threatened. There is a need to develop an alternative to the intact plant for production of plumbagin in order to make available plumbagin for pharmaceutical industries without disturbing and depleting natural plant resources. For the enhancement of plumbagin from P. zeylanica several strategies are employed such as media optimization, elicitation, biotransformation, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and scale-up. Various plant tissue culture (PTC) strategies have proved useful for the enhancement of secondary metabolites from P. zeylanica. This chapter brings to light an overview of the origin, distribution, taxonomical classification, economic importance, cultivation practices, genetic resources conservation approaches, and molecular breeding and their applications for the conservation and plumbagin enhancement in P. zeylanica.
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Plumbagin is an important naphthoquinone with potent anticancer properties besides multitudinous uses in healthcare. It is produced in a limited number of species and families but mostly in the roots of Plumbaginaceae family members. The biosynthetic pathway and the genes that regulate plumbagin synthesis are not completely known, but details of these are being revealed. Several species, including Plumbago, Drosera, and others, are being uprooted for the extraction of plumbagin by pharmaceutical industries, leading to the destruction of natural habitats. The pharmaceutical industry is therefore facing an acute shortage of plant material. This necessitates enhancing the accumulation of plumbagin using suspensions and hairy roots to meet market demands. Many factors, such as the aggregate size of the inoculum, stability of the culture, and the sequential effects of elicitors, immobilization, and permeabilization, have been demonstrated to act synergistically and markedly augment plumbagin accumulation. Hairy root cultures can be used for the large-scale production, growth, and plumbagin accumulation, and the exploration of their efficacy is now imperative. The secretion of compounds into the spent medium and their in situ adsorption via resin has remarkable potential, but this has not been thoroughly exploited. Improvements in the quality of biomass, selection of cell lines, and production of plumbagin in bioreactors have thus far been sporadic, and these parameters need to be further exploited. In this review, we report the advances made relating to the importance of stable cell line selection for the accumulation of compounds in long-term cultures, hairy root cultures for the accumulation of plumbagin, and its semicontinuous production via total cell recycling in different types of bioreactors. Such advances might pave the way for industrial exploitation. The steps in the biosynthetic pathway that are currently understood might also aid us in isolating the relevant genes in order to examine the effects of their overexpression or heterologous downregulation or to edit the genome using CRISPR-Cas9 technology in order to enhance the accumulation of plumbagin. Its potential as an anticancer molecule and its mode of action have been amply demonstrated, but plumbagin has not been exploited in clinics due to its insolubility in water and its highly lipophilic nature. Plumbagin-loaded nanoemulsions, plumbagin–silver, or albumin nanoparticle formulations can overcome these problems relating to its solubility and are currently being tried to improve its bioavailability and antiproliferative activities, as discussed in the current paper.
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Plumbago zeylanica L. is an important medicinal herb belonging to the family Plumbaginacea. Since time immemorial, it has been used for the treatment of various ailments. This plant also possesses various pharmacological activities, including hepatoprotective, anticancer, antifertility, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, and cardio-protective. The above-mentioned pharmacological activities of this plant are due to the presence of a wide range of secondary metabolites, including plumbagin. This plant is conventionally propagated using seeds, which have its own drawbacks, including low seed germination, short-term viability, and infestation by pests and insects. Thus, the conventional propagation method is unable to produce a large number of plants to meet their commercial demand. This challenge can be alleviated by the use of different biotechnological approaches. Plant tissue culture is an alternative tool for large scale production of in vitro plants and pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites (plumbagin) within a short span of time to narrow down the industrial demand. This review highlights the present status of P. zeylanica, it’s challenges in regard to over exploitation and how to amend this. Further, we have also focused on the production of plumbagin content using various approaches.
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Chitrak is scientifically known as Plumbago zeylanica Linn. belongs to Plumbaginaceae. Root shows medicinally valuable drug in pharmacological enterprise as the humanity is certainly prone to numerous contagious ailments due to ecological imbalance triggered by the current technology development. One of its remarkable phytoconstituents is plumbagin, a naphthoquinone molecule used to treat skin conditions, tumours, and tenacious chronic rheumatoid arthritis. The objective was to standardize the procedure of Plumbago zeylanica direct-organogenesis micropropagation. The solution contained various concentrations and combinations of auxin and cytokinins, and the nodal explant was used for quick micropropagation. The maximum multiple shoots (18.24 ± 0.51) per explant with shoot length 4. 2cm ± 0.20 cm was produced as the MS medium supplemented with B5 vitamins together with 2mg/l 6- Benzyleaminopurine (BAP) and 1mg/l Indole-3- acetic acid (IAA). The regenerated shoots were rooted in half strength MS medium with B5 vitamins that contained indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The highest rooting frequency (100%) was seen in the 1.5 mg/l IBA-containing rooting media. The extreme roots were 9.2±0.14 per explant. The average root length was 4.2± 0.10 cm. The in vitro rooted Shoots were then transplanted in the field showing a 100 percentage survival rate.
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The root of Plumbago zeylanica is widely used by traditional Yoruba healers in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria, in the management and treatment of various infections and diseases. The plant is mainly harvested from the wild. The indiscriminate collection of the roots and non -cultivation of the plant has many implications for biodiversity. The plant is becoming scarce due to increasing demand for its use in ethnobotanical practice. These factors necessitate the study of micropropagation of P. zeylanica via tissue culture to ensure its sustainability. The embryos and nodal cuttings of P. zeylanica were used to evaluate the effect of culture media and growth regulators on the in-vitro shoot production and growth. The embryos were significantly viable on Nitrogen -Phosphorus Potassium (NPK) basal media. The highest multiplication rate of the explants was obtained using Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (0.01 -0.05 mg/l) and benzyl amino purine (BAP) (2.0 -4.5 mg/l). The single nodes of established plantlets were repeatedly sub-cultured on MS-NAA-BAP media at 4 week intervals for six months; the media enabled multiple shooting, rooting and mass multiplications without decline. The phytochemicals found in the in-vitro plantlets were saponins and tannins. The rooted plants which were successfully acclimatized in a green-house, then transferred to soil, showed a normal growth.
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Efficient micropropagation protocol was developed for Plumbago zeylanica L., a species threatened due to over exploitation for medicinal purposes and habitat destruction in Southern Peninsular India. Multiple shoot induction was more successful using nodes as explants on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with 1mg/L benzyl amino purine (BAP) . Shoots, when transferred to MS medium containing 0.2 - 0.5 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA3) showed variable elongation. Further, MS medium fortified with 1.5 mg/L BAP induced highest frequency of shoots through adventitious de novo organogenesis. Shoots developed were rooted on full strength MS medium with either α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Optimum shoots and root multiplication were obtained within 8 weeks. In vitro derived plantlets were successfully weaned and transferred to soil and showed 90 % survival rate.
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The in vitro regeneration of Plubago zeylanica exhibited that the callus was initiated in the basal medium containing BAP, NAA, 2, 4-D, and IBA. The high amount (90%) of organic calli was induced in the basal medium supplemented with 2, 4-D, alone at 2.0 mg/l. In the subculture the adventitious shoot formation was prominently higher (83%) in the basal medium containing BAP, and NAA at 3.5 and 0.3 mg/l, respectively. IAA (1.0 mg/l) effectively produced higher percentage (90) of roots and root growth. After sequential hardening, survivability rate was observed to be significantly higher (80%) in the hardening medium containing garden soil, sand and vermicompost in the ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 by volume under greenhouse condition.
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Protocols for plant propagation through axillary bud proliferation and organo-genesis were established for Chitrak-Plumbago zeylanica Linn. (Plumbaginaceae). MS medium with 4.4 mg/l BA and 1.4 mg/l IAA elicited the maximum number of shoots (12 multiple shoots) from nodal explants. Leaf based callus differentiated into more than 30 shoots on MS with 160 mg/l adenine sulphate. The regenerated shoots were rooted on MS with 1.2 mg/l IBA within ten days. Almost, 96% of the rooted shoots survived hardening when transferred to the field. The regenerated plants did not show any morphological change and variation in levels of secondary metabolite when compared with the mother stock.
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Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medicinal system being practiced for thousands of years. Considerable research on pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical therapeutics has been carried out on ayurvedic medicinal plants. Natural products, including plants, animals and minerals have been the basis of treatment of human diseases. Plumbago zeylanica L. commonly known as white chitrak (family: plumbaginaceae) is a perennial herb that is grown in most parts of India. Leaf extract of this plant were evaluated for anticonvulsant activity using PTZ induced convulsion and maximum electro shocked induced convulsion. It was found that extract has no anticonvulsant activity.
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Petroleum ether extract of root of Plumbago zeylanica was investigated for hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol induced liver damage. Various biochemical parameters were studied to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract. In serum total bilirubin, total protein, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-Glutamyl transferase, Total Cholesterol and serum triglycerides were determined to assess the effect of the extract on the paracetamol induced hepatic damage. The study was also supported by histopathology of liver sections. Results of this study revealed that the markers in the animals treated with paracetamol recorded elevated concentration indicating severe hepatic damage by paracetamol, whereas the blood samples from the animals treated with petroleum ether extract of roots showed significant reduction in the serum markers indicating the effect of the plant extract in restoring the normal functional ability of the hepatocytes. The dosage of extract of plant roots used was 300 mg/kg bodyweight of rat. The present study reveals that the petroleum ether root extract of Plumbago zeylanica could afford a significant protection against paracetamol-induced hepatocellular injury.
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The bioassay-guided fractionation of the dichloromethane extract of aerial parts of Plumbago zeylanica led to the isolation of beta-sitosterol, beta-sitosteryl-3beta-glucopyranoside, beta-sitosteryl-3beta-glucopyranoside-6'-O-palmitate (1), lupenone, lupeol acetate, plumbagin and trilinolein. Compound 1 showed cytotoxic activity against MCF7 and Bowes cancer cell lines (IC50 113 microM and 152 microM, respectively), beta-sitosterol inhibited Bowes cell growth (IC50 36.5 microM) and plumbagin was cytotoxic against MCF7 and Bowes cells (IC50 1.28 microM and 1.39 microM, respectively). Cytotoxic constituents from Plumbago zeylanica. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8448995_Cytotoxic_constituents_from_Plumbago_zeylanica [accessed Apr 6, 2015].
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The present review aimed to compile up to date and comprehensive information of Plumbago zeylanica with special emphasis on its phytochemistry, various scientifically documented pharmacological activities, traditional and folk medicine uses. Traditional system of medicinal consists of large number of plants with various medicinal and pharmacological uses and hence represents a priceless tank of new bioactive molecules. P. zeylanica is one amongst these, found all over the world. In this review, we have attempted to highlight the work carried out on P. zeylanica. It is commonly known as 'Chitraka', and has been recognized in different traditional system of medicines for the treatment of various diseases of human beings in the form of paste and powder. Plant mainly contains naphthoquinones and steroidal compounds. Different parts of this plant are traditionally claimed to be used for the treatment of ailments including anti-fungal, anti-tumor, disease of heart, rheumatic pains, liver diseases, fever, diabetes, and kidney disease to list of few.