@article {1196, title = {Calotropin: Natural Phytomolecules for Cutting-edge Features}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {16}, year = {2023}, month = {December 2023}, pages = {19-25}, type = {Review Article}, chapter = {19}, abstract = {

Phytochemical is a collective term for plant chemicals with varied structure and function. The most common sources of phytochemicals are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and other plant foods. Calotropin is a pharmacologically active compound isolated from milkweed plants like Calotropis procera, Calotropis gigantea, and Asclepias curassavica that belong to the Asclepiadaceae family which is used for medicinal purposes in many Asian countries. Calotropin is identified as a highly potent cardenolide that has a similar chemical structure to cardiac glycosides (such as digoxin and digitoxin). Among cardenolides, calotropin is identified as the most promising agent. Calotropin has cytotoxic and anti-tumor impacts, with cancers of the breast, colon, lung, and leukemia malignancies exhibiting the most significant effects. The effects of calotropin on cancer have been extensively studied in preclinical pharmacological studies in vitro using cancer cell lines and in vivo in experimental animal models that have targeted antitumor mechanisms and anticancer signaling pathways. During ancient times, calotropin was utilized in various techniques. A macerated bark extract is frequently utilized for de-hearing hides and tanning. Calotropin is a particularly effective abortifacient or interceptive agent in females. Cardenolide calotropin is poisonous. This critique focused on its chemistry and therapeutic activity in various cancer cells.

}, keywords = {Asclepias curassavica, Calotropin, Calotropis gigantea, Calotropis procera, Cardenolide.}, doi = {10.5530/pres.16.1.3}, author = {Sourav Nag and Reshmi Paul and Sumanta Mondal and Naresh Panigrahi and Partha Roy} } @article {189, title = {Comparative Analysis of the Antimicrobial Potential of Stem and Fruit Extracts of Calotropis procera}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {12}, year = {2020}, month = {January 2021}, pages = {368-374}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {368}, abstract = {

Background: The dramatic rise in antimicrobial resistance continues to threaten the effective management and treatment of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Medicinal plants offer excellent therapeutic alternative especially due to their plethora bioactive constituents and low resistance development to them. Purpose: The comparative analysis of the antimicrobial potential of the stem and fruit extracts of Calotropis procera was investigated. Materials and Methods: Using different extracts of the plant, the phytochemical screening was determined alongside their antimicrobial properties with agar-disc diffusion assay. The antimicrobial potency of the plant extracts (200 mg/ml) was evaluated and compared by their inhibition zone (IZ), activity index (AI), percentage specific activity (PSA), and percentage total activity (PTA) values. Results: The highest antibacterial activity (IZ = 15 {\textpm} 0.5 mm) was displayed by the stem hot aqueous extract against Staphylococcus aureus, while the maximum antifungal effect was exerted by both the stem cold and hot aqueous extracts (P \> 0.05). The overall antimicrobial AI (AI = 1.56) was displayed by the stem cold aqueous extract against Candida albicans. The stem{\textquoteright}s hot and ethanolic extracts exhibited the highest achievable PSA of 100\%. Furthermore, the stem extracts displayed the PTA of 83.3\% compared to 25\% by the fruit extracts, thus confirming the greater antimicrobial potency of the plant{\textquoteright}s stem extracts. Conclusion: This study suggests that while the stem extracts of C. procera could have displayed better antimicrobial activity, the overall effects elicited by the plant could be attributed to the presence of phytochemicals as revealed by the result of the phytochemical screening. Further studies focusing on complete characterization and evaluation of the mechanism of antimicrobial action of bioactive constituents of the extracts is underway.

}, keywords = {Antimicrobial activity, Antimicrobial resistance, Calotropis procera, Medicinal plants, Phytochemicals}, doi = {10.4103/pr.pr_58_20}, author = {Sharafa Adegoke Bello and Tawakalt Adedayo Ayofe and Mohammed Faridat Yakub and Abdullahi Temitope Jamiu} }