Associate Professor,

Abstract

In this study, methanol extract from the root bark of Calotropis gigantea L. and its petroleum ether (40 o C-60 o C), chloroform and ethyl acetate soluble fractions were tested for their cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp nauplii (Artemia salina, Leach) and for antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp and Trichoderma harzianum. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) screening showed that methanol extract and its different fractions contained different type compounds such as steroid, terpene, glycoside, heterocyclic and flavonoid. In brine shrimp lethality bioassay, it was found that chloroform fraction was highly cytotoxic (LD50 14.72 µg/ml) among the tested samples. Though methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction have no activity against all the tested fungi but petroleum ether and chloroform fractions showed potent activity against Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp, Trichoderma harzianum and Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma harzianum, respectively, in antifungal activity test