INTRODUCTION:

The present review focuses on the literature data of the phytochemical and pharmacological investigations on I. frutescens,, an indigenous medicinal plant. In the recent past discovery of active potentials from indigenous medicinal plants has assumed importance. It is believed that in India 8,000 plants are used in Ayurveda, 800 in Siddha, 700 in Unani and 50 in modern medicines respectively. These plants can provide biologically active molecules and lead structures for the development of modified derivatives with enhanced activity and reduced toxicity. Thus plants can provide potential bioactive compounds for the development of new ‘leads’ to combat various diseases.

Ichnocarpus frutescens R. Br. (Apocynaceae), commonly known as Krishna Sariva, is a red woody climber, found almost in all parts of India, ascending to an altitude of 4 000 ft[1]. It is a shrub with rusty-tomentose branches. Leaves are variable, opposite, elliptic-oblong or lanceolate, softly tomentose beneath, glabrous above. Flowers are purple or greenish-white, minute, borne in long terminal and axillary paniculate cymes. Fruits are follicles, slender, cylindrical, curved. Seeds are white with a coma [2]

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	: Plantae
Division	: Magnoliophyta
Class	: Magnoliopsida
Order	: Gentianales
Familia	: Apocynaceae
Genus	: Ichnocarpus
Species	: I. frutescens
Binomial name	: Ichnocarpus frutescens,L.
English Name	: Black Creeper
Sanskrit Name	: Krishna sariva

Vernacular Names

Hindi Name: Kalisar kal, i dudhi siamalata; Assamese: dudhkuri iota; Bengali: dorelata, dudhi, dudhilata, shyamalata, Kannada: gorwiballi, haalu genasu, karampa, kare balli, kareambu; Malayalam: nannari, parvalli;Marathi: dudhbel, kantebhouri, kishna-sarwa, shyamalatha; Oriya: Syamolota; Tamil: illu-katte, paravalli; Telugu: illukkatti, korampala, munthagajjanamu, nallatige, nellatiga, pala teega. Tibetan: thal tras nag po.

Synonyms: Apocynum frutescens, Echites frutescens, Quirivelia frutescens

Distribution and Ecology

Ichnocarpus frutescens (Apocynaceae) is found almost throughout India, Srilanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia (3,4).

Ethnomedical uses

The enthomedicinal uses of this plant include its use as a laxative, demulcent, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic and in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, cholera, cough dog bites, diabetes, dysentery, fever, jaundice, measles, night blindness, small pox, snake-bites, sore, syphilis, tumour and wound (5). It is also used in the dental cares and in skin disease especially leprosy. Crude extract of the stem is used in treating redness of eyes. Leaves are used to cure Guinea worm disease and filariasis. The roots play a vital role in the treatment of HIV infection. The crude extract of the leaves of this plant have been shown to reduce fever, headache, inflammation and plasma glucose in diabetes (6, 7).

It is believed that the roots play a vital role in the treatment of HIV infection. The crude extract of the leaves of this plant have been shown to reduce fever, headache, inflammation and plasma glucose in diabetes (8, 9).

Phytochemical investigation

Studies on chemical constituents of the plant reveal the presence of phenylpropanoids, phenolic acids, coumarines, flavanoids, sterols and pentacyclic triterpenoids i.e. Δ12-dehydrolupanyl-3β-palmitate, lupeol acetate, friedelin, friedelinol, Δ12-dehydrolupeol, oleanolic acid, nonane, 5-hydroxyoctacosan-25-one, dotriacontanoic acid, sitosterol and sitosterol palmitate [10].

Stem contains α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-amyrin, 6, 8, 8-trimethylpentacosan -7-one[11], α-amyrin and its acetates, lupeol and its acetates, friedelin, epi-friedelinol and β-sitosterol [12], n-butyl oleate, n-octyl tetracontane, tetratriacontadiene, n-nonadecanyl benzoate, benzocosanyl arachidate[13].

Leaves contain flavones viz. apigenin and luteolin, glycoflavones i.e. vitexin and isovitexin, roanthocyanidin and phenolic acids, vanillic, syringic and synapic acid, protocatechuic acid[14]. Ursolic acid acetate, kaemferol, kaemferol-3-galactoside (trifolin) and mannitol were also identified from leaves [15].

Roots reported to consist of β-sitosterol[16] and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde[17]. Flowers contain quercetin and quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside[18].

Pharmacological studies

Aerial parts and roots of I. frutescens are considered to be the sources for yielding important drugs to be used in the indigenous system of medicine.

Toxicity studies

Chidambaram et al have evaluated the acute toxicity studies of polyphenolic extract of I.frutescens on albino wistar rats, which proved non-toxic in nature . An LD 50 dose of 2000 mg/kg and above was characterized as unclassified and hence the drug was found to be safe.[19]

Anti tumour activity

Kumarappan CT and Mandal SC used polyphenolic extract (PPE) of leaves of Ichnocarpus frutescens to evaluate antitumor activity in vivo. Results of in vivo study showed a significant decrease in tumour volume, viable tumour cell count and a significant increase of life span in the PPE treated group compared to untreated one: the life span of PPE treated animals increased by 53.41% (50 mg PPE/kg) and 73.95% (100 mg PPE/kg). PPE (5, 10 and 20 ug/mL) effectively inhibits in vitro proliferation of U-937 and K-562 cell lines.[20]

Anti diabetic activity

Rakesh Barik et al., (2008) evaluated the antidiabetic activity of aqueous extract of roots of Ichnocarpus frutescens in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced type-II diabetes in rats. The aqueous root extract of Ichnocarpus frutescens (250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) induced significant reduction (P < 0.05) of fasting blood glucose levels in rats on the 10^th and 15^th day. In the oral glucose tolerance test, the extract increased the glucose tolerance. It also brought about an increase in the body weight of diabetic rats.[21]

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity

Pandurangan et al., (2009) employed MEIF at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg significantly (p < 0.01) inhibited the edema formation of rat paw at 3 hrs after carrageenan

challenge. Maximum inhibition (54.63 %) was obtained at the dose of 100 mg/kg after 3 hrs of drug treatment whereas the reference drug, indomethacin at a dose of 10 mg/kg markedly reduced the paw edema and produced 57.65 % of inhibition. MEIF exhibited significant reduction in the granuloma formation in the cotton pellet-induced granuloma in rats which means that it may be effective in chronic inflammatory conditions. MEIF exhibited strong scavenging effects on 2, 2-diphenyl-2-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) free radical, nitric oxide, super oxide anion, hydroxyl radical and inhibition of lipid peroxidation.
MEIF had strong hydrogen donating ability with an IC50 value of 17.4 μg/ml and the value was found to be less than the vitamin C as standard (IC50 value of 4.1 μg/ml). The percentage inhibition of 40 g/ml concentration of MEIF in DPPH radical scavenging model was found as 86.7%.. MEIF elicited significant and concentration-dependent superoxide radical scavenging effect in PMS-NADH-NBT system. MEIF inhibited the OH radical-mediated lipid peroxidation by the FeSO4- H2O2 system in a concentration-dependent manner that was determined by the amount of MDA in liver homogenate. The percentage inhibition of MDA formation by 200 g/ml of MEIF was found as 58.13 and 82.7%, respectively. IC50 were determined for MEIF 130.7μg/ml and for vitamin-E 109.4 μg/ml. MEIF demonstrated significant scavenging activity of OH-radical generated from Fe2+-ascorbate-EDTA-H2O2 system. The IC50 values of MEIF and vitamin-E were 49.2 and 32.5μg/ml, respectively (22).

Hepatoprotective activity

DK Dash evaluated the hepatoprotective effect of chloroform and methanol extract (CEIF and MEIF) of whole plant of I. frutescens (Linns) by paracetamol-induced liver damage in rats. CEIF and MEIF at a dose level of 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg produce significant (P<0.05) hepatoprotection by decreasing the activity of serum enzymes, bilirubin, and lipid peroxidation, while they significantly increased the levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in a dose dependent manner. The effects of CEIF and MEIF were comparable to that of standard drug Silymarin.[23]

Anti pyretic activity

A. Pandurangan et al. (2008) evaluated methanolic extract of Ichnocarpus frutescens R.Br. root (MEIF) for its anti-pyretic potential on normal body temperature and yeast-induced pyrexia in albino rats. Yeast suspension (10 ml/kg body wt.) increased rectal temperature 19 h after subcutaneous injection. The MEIF, at doses of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg body wt., p.o., produced significant reduction in normal body temperature and yeast-provoked elevated temperature in a dose dependent manner. The effect extended up to 5 h after the drug administration. The anti-pyretic effect of MEIF was comparable to that of paracetamol (150 mg/kg body wt., p.o.), a standard anti-pyretic agent [24].

CONCLUSION:

The above review reveals that Ichnocarpus frutescens is safer at its therapeutic dose of 2000 mg/kg. The shrub was found to be potent antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti tumorogenic, anti diabetic, anti oxidant and hepatoprotective agent. The phytoconstituents present in the plant, mainly steroids and flavonoids are responsible for the action. The traditional and ethnomedicinal literature shows that this plant is very effective and safe for medicinal uses. Since pharmacological investigation of the plant reveals that no biological activity has been reported for isolated compounds, there is lot scope of future research.

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Received on 26.03.2013 Modified on 19.04.2013

Research J. Pharm. and Tech 6(6): June 2013; Page 607-609