PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND BIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE LEAVES OF TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA

Helminthiasis is also known as worm infection and a endoparasitic disease of humans and other animals in which a part of a body is infected with parasitic worms. Tinospora cordifolia is a well known medicinal plant and widely used in folk medicine ayurvedic system. The objective of this work is to carry out phytochemical screening and in vitro anthelmintic activity of methanolic, petroleum ether and ethylene glycol extracts of leaves of Tinospora cordifolia (Menispermaceae) against Indian earthworm, Pheretima posthuma. Various concentrations (2.5, 5, 10, 20 mg/ml) of the extracts were tested, which involved determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the worms using Albendazole (10 mg/ml) as standard drug and normal saline as control. The methanolic extract exhibited a maximum anthelmintic activity than the other two extracts. The extract showed anthelmintic activity in dose dependant manner giving shortest time of paralysis (P) and death (D) with 20mg/ml concentration and caused paralysis in 4 min and death in 10 min respectively. The Preliminary phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of various phytoconstituents in the extract of which alkaloids, glycosides, triterpenes and steroids might have contributed for the potent anthelmintic activity. From the above study, it significantly shown the antihelimenthic activity and provides scientific rationale for the traditional use of Tinospora cordifolia for Helimenthiasis. The future scope of Tinospora cordifolia provides economic, safe and efficacy of antihelminthic drug contributing to the society.