Pharmacognostical and Pharmacological Screening of the Medicinal Plant Plumeria Alba Linn Apocynaceae in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

The present study entitled Pharmacognostical and Pharmacological Screening of the Medicinal Plant Plumeria alba Linn. (Apocynaceae) in Cancer therapy encompasses the results of exomorphic, endomorphic profile of the plant, isolation of bio-active components and their pharmacological studies. Among 17 globally available species of Plumeria in addition to several horticultural varieties, Plumeria alba may be characterized by the following salient diagnostic features. The plant is a small tree with spreading branches and persistent leaves. The tree from which the leaves were collected for the present study, exhibits an unusual development of longitudinal, vertical thick bund of periderm on the adaxial side of the leaning branches. The leaves are thick, leathery, glabrous and shining on the adaxial side. They are obovate - lanceolate, obtuse at the apex and oblique at the base. The leaf is distinctly dorsiventral with quite prominent abaxial midrib and lateral veins. The midrib has wide, thick bowl shaped vascular strand and densely crowded large number of phloem nests in the central ground tissue and scattered, wide circular laticifers. The lamina has adaxial epidermal layer of tabular cells and thin abaxial stomatiferous layer of epidermis. Palisade zone is wide, compact with columnar cells. Lateral veins have thick walled, wide bundle sheath with adaxial and abaxial extensions. Vein islets are distinct and the vein terminations are mostly branched. Cancer treatment with the currently available drugs continues to remain a challenge for effective management, owing to toxicities of these drugs. Plants are always looked upon as a potential source for safe and effective anti-cancer activity. The present study brings to light the potential anti-cancer property of Plumeria alba; and its anti-cancer molecules, identified as Ursolic acid and Allamacin glycoside, may be newer agents with promising scientific scope in the area of cancer therapy and cancer disease management. newline