Bioassay-guided screening of eight plant species for antiproliferative activity based on basic bench top assays

Abstract

This study revealed the screening of eight traditionally used medicinal plants (Synedrella nodiflora, Holoptelea integrifolia, Polyalthia longifolia, Moringa oleifera, Schleichera oleosa, Cynodon dactylon, Aegle marmelos, and Litsea glutinosa for their antiproliferative effects using some basic bench-top assays. Comparative studies were done with the aqueous extracts of these plants using wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings. Later, three plants showing the superior performances in the previous assay were subjected for further experimentation to study the mitotic index retardation using onion (Allium cepa L.) bulbs as the experimental plant model. Among these plants, S. nodiflora, P. longifolia, and M. oleifera showed greater antiproliferative activity in the initial screening test on wheat seedlings. Results of successive experiments indicated that the aqueous extract of Synedrella nodiflora showed the highest extent of antiproliferative activity on all the bioassays. Thus, this study may open up a new possibility to look at the scientific validation and justification of using the plants for therapeutic purposes