Abstract:
Urena sinuata is commonly known as Burr mallow and Bon-Okra (Bengali), one of the
vital medicinal herb of Bangladesh. Its root is used as emollient, leave is used as antiinflammatory and flowers is used in bronchitis. The current study deals with the
phytochemical investigation and in vitro evaluation of antioxidant property and in vivo
evaluation of cytotoxic, anthelmintic and antidiarrheal activity of methanolic extracts of
Urena sinuata based on conventional use of plant. Thus the aim is to authenticate its
traditional uses and representing the great potential of this species for further expansion
within the pharmaceutical industry. Antioxidant activity was evaluated according to
DPPH free radical scavenging method in which the positive control ascorbic acid showed
IC50 value of 12.44μg/ml. On the other hand, the crude methanolic extract of whole plant
showed promising DPPH free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value 30.73 μg/ml..
Methanol extracts of whole plant was most toxic &LC50 of 145.91μg/ml. The extract
have significant anti-diarrheal activity with 77.27% and 68.18%% reduction of diarrheal
feces in both 75mg/ml and 150mg/kg body wt. compared to standard loperamide which
reduce 72.73%. Methanolic extract of the leaves of Urena sinuata shows anthelmintic
activity against helminthes. Death time of standard Albendazole is 14min (25mg/ml). On
the other hand, with increasing the concentration of the plant’s extract decrease the death
time (at 250mg/ml death time is 48.33min). In a nut shell, this study suggest that the
extracts of Urena sinuata retains anti-oxidant, anti-diarrheal, cytotoxic and anthelmintic
properties, which upkeep its use in traditional medicine. In future the plant should be
further investigated for its pharmacologically active compound.
