Determination of toxicological effect of latex of Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. in Freshwater snails
Aradhana Singh* and Veena B Kushwaha**
*Department of Zoology, Akhilbhagya Post Graduate College Ranapar, Gorakhpur **Department of Zoology, DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur-273009 (India) *Address for Correspondence Email:aradhanadevsingh@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. commonly known, as “Arka” is a popular medicinal plant found throughout the tropics of Asia and Africa. It has been widely used in the Indian traditional system for the treatment of a variety of disease conditions due to the pres- ence of various cardenolides, triterpenoids, anthocyanins and hydrocarbons in it. In this paper we have evaluated the toxicity of latex of C. procera against harmful snails Lymnaea acuminata and Indoplanorbis exustus. The toxicity of the extracts of latex was both time and dose dependent. Aqueous extract of latex of C. procera was less toxic com- pared to the extracts of ethanol and carbon tetra chloride. The 96h LC50 of aqueous extract of latex was 68.49 mg/l and 76.40 mg/l whereas same of ethanolic extract was 40.91mg/l and 35.80mg/l against the snails Lymnaea acuminata and Indoplanorbis exustus respectively. The CCl4 extract of latex was more toxic to the snails, Lymnaea acuminata and Indoplanorbis exustus and 96h LC50 was found to be 14.25mg/l and 22.88 mg/l respectively.