Phytochemical screening and cytotoxicity evaluation of launaea cornuta h. (asteraceae) using brine shrimp
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Date
2015Author
Misonge, JO J
Kinyanjui, G
Kingori, WM
Mwalukumbi, JM
Type
esLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Launaea cornuta is an erect perennial plant with hollow stems up to 1.5 m
high and creeping rhizomes and belongs to the family of Asteraceae which
is the largest family of flowering plants. A single plant can cover a large area
as a result of spread by rhizomes. L. cornuta can become a dominant weed
in a range of semiarid subtropical ecologies. The herb is native to Africa and
occurs on alluvial soils in cultivated areas, including irrigated crops, on
roadsides, near rivers and bush vegetation. L. cornuta is used as a wild
vegetable in African communities as source for vitamin C. The decoction is
used to treat typhoid, ear pain, stomach pain, chronic join pain, measles,
gonorrhea, ascariasis, swollen testicles, warts, diabetes and in the
management of breast cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia. The
objective of the study was to carryout physical and chemical properties of
the plant constituent as well as screening for cytotoxic activity against brine
shrimps. The plant materials were collected and dried under shade in the
laboratory benches. The ground materials were used for preliminary
phytochemical studies and revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids,
alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, coumarins, gums, mucilages, phenols,
terpenoids and fatty acids while saponins, volatile oils and phlobotanins
were absent. Extraction was achieved by sequential maceration using
petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol respectively. Aqueous extract
was prepared separately. The organic solvent extracts were dried in vacuo
while the aqueous extract was lyophilized. The brine shrimp lethality tests
were carried out and the petroleum ether and chloroform extracts exhibited
moderate cytotoxicity against brine shrimp with LC50 value of 373 µg/ml and
342.7 µg/ml respectively. The varied groups of chemicals reported in this
herb suggestively indicate lay scientific evidence for the herb use in various
ailments and moderate toxicity against brine shrimp is preliminarily justify
the reason for embarking on evaluating the herb fractions for bioactivity.
Citation
Misonge, J. O., Kinyanjui, J. G., Kingori, W. M., & Mwalukumbi, J. M. (2015). "Phytochemical screening and cytotoxicity evaluation of Launaea Cornuta H. (Asteraceae) using brine shrimp." Merit Research Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences. 2015;3(4):116-120.Publisher
University of Nairobi