K.Vijayalakshmi

The present study evaluated the ability of methanolic extract of punica granatum to induce apoptosis in lung cancer cell lines.A549 cells emerged as the most sensitive cell line for in-vitro growth inhibitory activity. A total of 50-60% confluent cells were treated with Punica granatum rind extract and their fraction for 48 hrs in complete growth medium. The ethyl acetate fraction induces uppermost cell death in the A549 cells which indicate the maximum growth inhibition. Ethyl acetate fraction of punica granatum extract induces apoptosis in A549 cells as indicated by nuclear condensation and increased annexin staining. It is possible that the use of punica granatum rind extract as a component in herbal medicines could be justifiable.

  Oxidative stress caused by free radicals is associated to various diseases. Modern research is directed towards finding naturally-occurring antioxidants of plant origin. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activities of punica granatum rind extracts of ganesh variety. The present investigation was to examine the free radical scavenging activity of various extracts of punica granatum rind by different in-vitro methods. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH assay, FRAP assay, Hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activity, Nitric oxide radical scavenging activity. The methanolic extract of punica granatum rind was found to more effective in the radical scavenging activity. All the above invitro studies clearly indicate that the methanolic extract of punica granatum rind has a significant antioxidant activity. These invitro assays indicate that this rind extracts is a better source of natural antioxidant, which might be helpful in preventing the progress of various oxidative stresses and also support the ethnomedical use of this rind to promote good health for humans.

  Benzo(a) pyrene (BP), the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon which is highly carcinogenic present in tobacco smoke causes lung cancer. So nowadays a lot of attention on plant based products which act as chemopreventive agents are used to prevent lung cancer. So the present investigation focuses on the Punica granatum which is a medicinal plant and used in folk medicines. The present investigation was carried out to determine the effect of ethyl acetate fraction of Punica granatum rind extract on tumor markers in benzopyrene induced lung cancer in Swiss albino mice. The analysis on tumor markers revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction of Punica granatum rind extract possess antineoplastic effect on lung cancer induced in Swiss albino mice which may be due to the highest percentage of Pyrogallol in the active fraction.   Key words: Punica granatum, Benzopyrene, Swiss albino mice, Lung cancer, Pyrogallol.