Phytochemical Investigation and Pharmacological Activity in the Roots of Thottea siliquosa lam.

The main aim of the research work is to investigate the in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activity in the root of medicinal plant Thottea siliquosa Lam. (Synonym: Apama siliquosa Lam.) the member of Aristolochiaceae family. The dried roots of T. siliquosa were powdered and extracted with methanol and the chemical composition of extract was further subjected to preliminary phyto-chemical screening, the plant extract proved the presence of alkaloids, tannins, phenols and other major chemical compounds. The major compounds of the plant extract was eluted and evaluated by TLC, HPLC, UV-VIS and IR methods. In vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of the extract was analyzed using DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and human cancer cell line K562. The DPPH and cytotoxicity assay of methanolic root extract of Thottea siliquosa showed strong inhibitory activity. This finding demonstrated that, roots of T. siliquosa possess free radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity as well as antioxidant and anti cancer activity for in vitro. These results show that T. siliquosa is a promising source of natural products with potential anticancer and cytotoxic activity. The results will guide the selection for further pharmacological and phytochemical investigations.