ISOLATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF STIGMAST-5-EN-3-OL (β-SITOSTEROL) FROM CALOTROPIS PROCERA LATEX ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION FOR IMMUNOMODULATORY ACTIVITY

Aim of this study was to identify and characterise the bioactive principles from the latex of Calotropis procera which could influence cellular and humoral aspects of immune system which may influence immune disorders. Calotropis procera R.Br. (Asclepiadaceae), commonly known as milk weed or swallow-wort, is a medicinal plant widely used as a folk medicine in India. It exhibits a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities shown by various research activities till date like anti microbial, anticancer wound healing. After successive extraction of dried latex ethyl acetate extract of latex was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation. The two fractions obtained (EA I and II) were tested for immunomodulatory activity using delayed type hypersensitivity and humoral antibody titre by antigenic sheep RBCs. The active molecule was isolated, based upon bioassay guided fractionation, and identified as β-sitosterol on spectral evidence. Only the fraction (EA I) containing β- Sitosterol showed promising humoral and cellular activity with Primary HA titre value 201.29 ±  2.35 and secondary HA titre value 296.51 ±  1.45.  β- Sitosterol, a pentacyclic triterpenoid was extracted for the first time from the latex of Calotropis procera and characterized by spectral studies UV, IR, NMR and MASS. The presence of appreciable amounts of β- Sitosterol in the latex may account for its various pharmacological activities. The present study provides some scientific evidence for the traditional use of Calotropis procera in the immunomodulatory activity, which could play some role in humoral and cellular response in immunity.