title: Leishmanicidal activity of saponins isolated from the leaves of Eclipta prostrata and Gymnema sylvestre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the leishmanicidal activity of saponin, dasyscyphin C of Eclipta prostrata and sapogenin, gymnemagenol from Gymnema sylvestre leaves under in vitro conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dasyscyphin C/Gymnemagenol were dissolved in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and diluted with liquid medium to obtain concentrations ranging from 1000 to 15 mug /ml. The leishmanicidal activity against leishmanial parasites, Leishmania major, Leishmania aethiopica and Leishmania tropica promastigotes was studied by the MTS assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Dasyscyphin C isolated from E. prostrata showed good leishmanicidal activity at 1000mug/ml concentration, with the IC(50) value of 450mug/ml against L. major promastigote and the percentage of parasitic death was 73; whereas, gymnemagenol of G. sylvestre showed only 52% parasitic death at 1000 mug/ml concentration. The other Leishmania species, L. aethiopica and L. tropica promastigotes, were less sensitive to the saponins of E. prostrata and G. sylvestre.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this study, it can be concluded that the dasyscyphin C of E. prostrata has significant leishmanicidal activity against L. major promastigote.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Venkatesan Gopiesh
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.forename: Krishnan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kannabiran
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Getti