Annual Research & Review in Biology

Aims: Currently, there has been extensive interest in the study of medicinal plants owing to minor, less frequent side effects and potential therapeutic activity. Therefore the aim of the present study was to evaluate the thrombolytic and membrane stabilizing activities of crude ethanolic extract of leaves and stems of Alternanthera paronychioides (A. paronychioides) and Vernonia patula (V. patula).

Study Design: Each part of the plant was extracted with ethanol and concentrated to generate crude extracts. Then thrombolytic and membrane stabilizing activities of crude extracts were determined using standard methods.

Place  and  Duration  of  Study:  Department  of  Pharmacy,  Southeast  University,  Dhaka, Bangladesh, from the month of April to June 2015.

Methodology: To observe the thrombolytic potential of the plant extracts, streptokinase was used as standard. Membrane stabilizing activity was assessed by using hypotonic solution induced human erythrocyte lysis model considering acetyl salicylic acid as standard.

Results: Among the plant extracts highest (30.922±0.886%, P < 0.001) thrombolytic activity was possessed by leaves extracts of the A. paronychioides with respect to negative control.  On the other hand leaves extracts of the V. patula produced maximum, (44.474±2.368%, P < 0.001) of stabilization of erythrocyte membrane compared to negative control.

Conclusion: From the findings, it was reported that the ethanolic leaves extract of the plants revealed remarkable activities. Therefore leaves extract of the A. paronychioides and V. patula could be consider as potential source of compound(s) with thrombolytic and membrane stabilizing activities.