Adhatoda vasica

Adhatoda vasica Nees, (Family Acanthacea), commonly known as vasa or vasaka, is a well-known herbal drug in Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathic system of medicines. Vasaka is widespread throughout India and tropical regions of Southeastern Asia. This plant is a source of vitamin C and has other phytoconstituents with their proven medicinal value.  All parts of A. vasica are rich in alkaloids among which leaves and roots contain a bitter quinazoline alkaloid, adhatodine, vasicine, vasicinol, vasicinone, vasicinolone, vasicine and vasicinone, among which the latter two predominate. Other constituents include triterpenes, flavonoids, alkanes, steroid, daucosterol, β-sitosterol. Pharmacological properties of this plant are mainly due to vasicine, vasicinol and vasicinone. Vasicinone and vasicine are widely known for powerful bronchodilator action. The whole plant with its phytoconstituents has been studied for antiasthmatic, antitussive, antioxidant activity, hepatoprotective activity, antiulcer activity, uterotonic and abortifacient activity.

Adhatoda vasica Nees (Acanthaceace) is a well known medicinal plant. Its diverse medicinal activities include cardiovascular protection, abortifacient, antitubercular, antimutagenic, antiulcer, antiasthmatic activities, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and anti cancer activities. It is commonly used in original and traditional folk medicine system. In the prior times, many people used plants to cure diseases just by experimental data without knowing anything about its compounds. A number of evidence has been documented to demonstrate the probability of these plants in pharma industry. In recent years Adhatoda vasica an important medicinal plant that has been extensively used in pharmacological analysis and toxicological studies was found and these phytochemicals were considered to be greater importance in pharma industry. The present study was carried out to evaluate the anticancer activity of the compound isolated from ethyl acetate fractions of Adhatoda vasica and it was found to very good anticancer action against liver cancer. The compound isolated from ethyl acetate fraction of Adhatoda vasica flowers was tested for its anti cancer activity against liver cancer HePG2 cell line by MTT assay. The CTC50 value of sample was 228.5µg/ml against liver cancer HePG2 cell lines. Significant results were observed thereby proving the use of this plant in the traditional system of medicine.