Punica granatum

Dadima (Pomegranate) is one of the most frequently used drug as a part of medicine and food in Ayurved having varied effects on the human body. Dadima is used in Mukharoga (diseases of mouth), Shukra daurbalya (sexual debility), Samanya daurbalya (general debility), Aruchi (tastelessness), Amlapitta (acidity), etc. and is having effects like Daha shamaka (reduces burning sensation), Jwaraghna (antipyretic), Shukrala (increases semen), Pachana (digestive), Balya (general tonic) and Medhya (brain tonic). Till date the detailed pharmacognostical aspects of Dadima i.e its fruit bark, false septa, seed, powder microscopy including its histochemical evaluation was not found reported systematically. The present study was conducted on the fruit of Dadima (Punica granatum Linn.) for its pharmacognostical characters. The microscopic characters of the fruit show epidermis covered with thick cuticle, single layered epicarp, paranchyma cells filled with prismatic crystals, simple and compound starch grains and oil globules, well developed parenchymatous cells, fibres, schleroids, stone cells, prismatic crystals etc.

The methanolic extract of Punica granatum (PUG), Glycyrrhiza glabra (GLA) and their combination (PUG-GLA) were evaluated for their wound healing activity using excision wound model in rats. Rats treated with PUG-GLA showed higher rate of wound contraction, significant decrease in epithelization period and significant increase in hydroxyproline content of granulation tissue when compared with the controls. The histological examination of treated wounds showed that the original tissue regeneration was much greater in PUG-GLA, with increase in the restoration of collagen fibers, fibroblasts, blood vessel formation and hair follicle regeneration.

  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.