Calotropis procera: Benefits, Applications, Side Effects, and More!
Surviving in harsh conditions, this plant is a symbol of resilience and adaptability. From treating skin ailments to traditional uses in Ayurveda, Calotropis procera is a herbal powerhouse
Intro to Calotropis Procera
The bioactive components found in medicinal plants, have been utilised for ages to treat both human and animal disorders. In developing countries, these are the main source of healthcare. Almost 7 lakhs deaths are estimated worldwide which are attributed to microbial illnesses, including those brought on by resistant microbes. It is predicted that by 2050, this number will rise to 10 million deaths annually. The World Health Organisation is motivating to develop the novel antimicrobial medications due to pathogen resistance. A strategy for dealing with resistant bacteria in the future is the hypothesis that non-antibiotic chemicals that function as resistance breakers may improve or restore the action of antibiotics when co-administered with them. Research on antibacterial activity of Calotropis procera has given significant results that help to understand the plant’s possible medical uses. The study focuses the necessity for additional findings into the antibacterial characteristics of Calotropis procera. Calotropis procera plant is a member of the Asclepiadaceae family. Furthermore, this plant is used to cure symptoms related to the spleen. Other species of Calotropis are also used as a vermifuge, as a poultice for wounds and to relieve aching teeth and cracked feet. Calotropis procera also has antifungal, antibacterial, and anticarcinogenic properties.
Therapeutic Potential of Calotropis procera: A milkweed
For many years, Calotropis procera has been used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of medical issues like fever, diarrhoea, skin infections, and respiratory issues. Detail studies have been conducted on it and it is observed that this plant is a source of novel medications. Calotropis procera contains a variety of bioactive substances such as glycosides, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids. These substances show many therapeutic effects like anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antibacterial, and anticarcinogenic qualities. To serve as a botanical pollution monitor is one of the typical features of Calotropis procera. In urban and suburban areas, the plant is a useful indicator of the concentrations of certain elements, such as Br, Mn, Se, Cr, and Zn. Hence it is a helpful tool for pollution management and environmental monitoring. This plant also shows the potential as an anti-inflammatory agent. As it can impede the growth of cancer cells both in vivo and in vitro, it is an anti-cancer agent also. The plant has a number of chemicals that work well against a wide range of insects, such as termites, flies, and mosquitoes.
Properties
Wound healing properties
At the Central Drug Research Institute’s National Laboratory Animal Centre in Lucknow, male swiss guinea pigs were born which were used for study. The latex was collected and extracted from the plant material and separated into fractions that were soluble in water and chloroform. There were at least four cardenolides in the chloroform fraction, but none in the aqueous one. The aqueous fraction also lacked tannins. Solvents were evaporated until dry, leaving behind corresponding residues under low pressure. These residues were further examined for their ability to promote wound healing. For seven days, wounds were treated with 1.0% C. procera and the results were compared to wounds that received vehicle treatment. C. procera-treated wounds were noticeably dry and had shown no outward indications of inflammation. Moreover, there was no any indication of any pathological fluid seeping from the treated animals’ incision margins. After comparing to wounds treated with a vehicle, the area of wounds in animals receiving seven days of Calotropis treatment was 20% smaller. The research also assessed the metabolic alterations that take place during the wound-healing phase. After homogenising the harvested, regenerated tissue with 10% TCA, it was successively washed with ether, alcohol and ether, then sodium acetate and alcohol. The pellet was then re-suspended in 10% TCA and incubated in a water bath at 90 °C for 15 minutes. For ten minutes, centrifugation at 1000 ×g was used to extract DNA. To solubilize the protein, 4 millilitres of 0.1N NaOH were added to the remaining pellet and left overnight. According to the study that analysed proteins using the Lowry et al. (1951) approach, calotropis procera exhibits remarkable wound healing properties and can be served as a natural substitute for synthetic wound healing medicines. After the evaluation of the plant safety, it was concluded that the topical administration of the plant was safe. But more research is necessary to find out the effectiveness of this plant in various wound models.
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties
Due to antibacterial and antioxidant qualities, Calotropis procera can be proven as a helpful tool in the treatment of a wide range of illnesses. Researchers collected its dried leaves and made a fine powder to conduct the further experimentation. A rotary evaporator is used to concentrate the viscous mass after extracting the plant material with 90% methanol at 55 °C. Both antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the final extract were checked and it is noted that the methanol extract of the plant had possible free-radical scavenging activity. This shows that the methanol extract might have greater antioxidant activity as compared to the water extract. The sample solution was made by dissolving one gram of the sample extract in ten millilitres of ethanol, with a gentamicin standard disc serving as a positive control. As a negative control, ethanol alone was utilised in the blank sample. The researchers found that the extract had strong antibacterial activity against several bacterial species, such as pseudomonas aeruginosa, escherichia coli and staphylococcus aureus. The research specifies that Calotropis procera might be a helpful for curing a variety of medical issues. Its antibacterial qualities may support in bacterial infections, while its antioxidant qualities may help in lowering the oxidative stress.
Anti-microbial Properties
As per the studies, it has been used to treat infections as well as a number of other illnesses. Recent research has showed the antibacterial effect of c. procera against a variety of diseases, including viruses, fungi, and bacteria. The plant contains alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and glycosides which are beneficial due to their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant qualities. It also shows its effectiveness in a variety of diseases, including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This plant offers a number of benefits as compared to other natural medicines which includes its broad-spectrum activity and capacity to prevent the formation of biofilms. To examine the leaf extract of c. procera and its antimicrobial properties, disc diffusion was used. The stock solution is prepared by dissolving the extract in ethanol which is used to inoculate sterile filter paper discs. After that, the discs were put on agar plates containing bacterial or fungal strains and allowed to incubate at the proper temperature. In this way, the antibacterial activities of this extract are assessed. The leaf extract can be used as a natural substitute for synthetic antibacterial medicines and also as organic insecticide in agriculture.
Anti-diarrheal Properties
In rural parts of developing nations, most of the illnesses including diarrhoea are treated with traditional home remedies completely. Diarrheal infections are main cause of infant mortality among the underweight infants. In India, a country with a higher degree of biological and environmental diversity than any other country in the world, numerous studies have assessed the effectiveness of various traditional medicines in treating diarrhoea. But still the usefulness of many of these traditional remedies has not been well investigated by science. While testing the C. procera extract for anti-diarrheal properties, an experiment is carried out on rats. Rats that had diarrhoea brought on by castor oil were used to test anti-diarrheal properties of the extract. Six groups of rats were created, and each group received a unique set of treatments. Atropine was given to the second group, distilled water was provided to the first group and various doses of plant extracts were given to the remaining four groups. For each group, the weight of faecal matter, the quantity of wet stools, and the start of diarrhoea were noted. The result of this study showed that the plant extract considerably lowered the weight of faecal matter, the amount of wet stools, and the onset of diarrhoea. It was noted during this study that the plant extract at the greatest dosage worked just as well as the widely used anti-diarrhea medication atropine.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
Oral mucositis is one of the major side effects of cancer treatment. This is generally treated with PII-IAA which is a combination of latex protein derived from plants. M.V. Ramos et al. conducted an experiment with both in vitro and in vivo tests. The results came up with that PII-IAA was successful in lowering inflammation and encouraging oral mucositis recovery. Additionally, the scientists found that PII-IAA had a low toxicity and had no notable adverse effects. PII-IAA may prove to be a useful alternative for treating oral mucositis, which is presently managed with a small number of medications that mostly have serious adverse effects. In addition, according to research, PII-IAA may be used to treat various inflammatory disorders. PII-IAA has also been found to have therapeutic benefits for other inflammatory diseases. Calotropis procera has been demonstrated in previous research to have anti-inflammatory properties in many types of inflammation in which colitis and arthritis are included. The researchers suggest that PII-IAA may be utilised to treat these disorders, but more experimentation is required to investigate this idea fully.
Healing potential of Calotropis procera on dermal wounds in Guinea pigs
In wound healing many processes are involved like- the synthesis of collagen, cell migration and proliferation, and other biochemical and cellular processes. Certain growth factors and cytokines control the repair process; however pathological situations can change it. The plant contains anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial qualities which are helpful in healing wounds. The metabolic alterations that take place during the wound-healing phase are also investigated. More research is required to insure the plant’s safety to determine the active chemicals causing its wound healing activity. It is suggested that the Calotropis procera may be utilised as a natural substitute for artificial wound healing agents. According to a guinea pig research, topical 1.0% sterile solution of C. procera latex greatly speed up the healing process. When C. procera latex was applied topically to guinea pig wounds, the area of the wound shrank and the synthesis of collagen, DNA, and proteins increased. In the research, C. procera—traditionally used in spleen-complaining epilepsy—showed signs of possible wound healing activity. For seven days, a 1.0% sterile solution of C. procera latex was applied topically twice a day. Afterwards, wound tissues were removed for analysis. After that the area of the wound was measured, and the tissues that had recovered were taken out for histological and biochemical examination. The final result showed that increased synthesis of collagen, DNA, and proteins are found in the regenerated tissues treated with C. procera latex.
Have metallic nanoparticles been studied as a potential treatment option using Calotropis procera?
Yes, metal nanoparticles made from Calotropis procera have been investigated as a therapeutic approach. According to the research article, several extracts of Calotropis procera and CPL have been used as biomaterials to produce metal nanoparticles and a bio-membrane with antibacterial qualities. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with a diameter of 4–25 nm that were created from CPL serum shown strong in vitro antibacterial properties than crude CPL. To completely uncover the potential of metal nanoparticles generated from Calotropis procera as a therapeutic alternative, more research is necessary in this field.
Chemometric & antimicrobial activities of leaf extract of Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantean
Leaf extracts of two species of Calotropis plants, Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantea, were studied. The main goal of the study was to determine the chemometric and antibacterial properties. In this study, leaves from plants are collected, dried and their bioactive components are extracted by using various solvents. After that chemometric methods like principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used to examine chemical composition of the extracts. As per the study, Calotropis procera leaf extract had greater concentrations of bioactive substances than Calotropis gigantea, including phenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The two extracts had diverse chemical compositions, as shown by PCA and HCA analysis. Using the disc diffusion method, the antimicrobial properties of leaf extracts were estimated against various bacterial and fungal species. According to the findings, both extracts showed antibacterial properties against the strains that were tested. Antibacterial properties of C. procera are due to the bioactive substances present in it like- flavonoids and alkaloids. To treat variety of infections, the extract of the calotropis leaves can be used and it can be a natural substitute for synthetic antibacterial medicines.
Side effects or precautions
While using the Calotropis procera you should always take precaution, especially if you are on any drugs or have any pre-existing medical issues. More research is required to determine the effectiveness and safety of Calotropis procera in human beings as well as in animals. Therefore, before using Calotropis Procera for wound healing, it is highly recommended to speak with a medical practitioner.
References
- Amini, M. H., Ashraf, K., Salim, F., Lim, S. M., Ramasamy, K., Manshoor, N., Sultan, S., & Ahmad, W. (2021). Important insights from the antimicrobial activity of Calotropis procera. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 14(7), 103181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2021.103181
- Ramos, M. V., De Freitas, A. P. F., Leitão, R. F. C., Da Silva Costa, D. V., Cerqueira, G. S., Martins, D. S., Martins, C. A., De Alencar, N. M. N., Freitas, L. B. N., & Brito, G. A. (2020). Anti-inflammatory latex proteins of the medicinal plant Calotropis procera: a promising alternative for oral mucositis treatment. Inflammation Research, 69(9), 951–966. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-020-01365-7
- Rasik, A. M., Raghubir, R., Gupta, A., Shukla, A. N., Dubey, M., Srivastava, S., Jain, H., & Kulshrestha, D. K. (1999). Healing potential of Calotropis procera on dermal wounds in Guinea pigs. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 68(1–3), 261–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-8741(99)00118-x
- Pattnaik, P. K., Kar, D., Chhatoi, H., Shahbazi, S., Ghosh, G., & Kuanar, A. (2016). Chemometric profile & antimicrobial activities of leaf extract of Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantea. Natural Product Research, 31(16), 1954–1957. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2016.1266349
- Mossa, J. S., Tariq, M., Mohsin, A., Ageel, A. M., Al-Yahya, M. A., Alsaid, M. S., & Rafatullah, S. (1991). Pharmacological Studies on Aerial Parts of Calotropis Procera. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 19(03n04), 223–231. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0192415x91000302
- Kumar, S., Dewan, S. M. R., Sangraula, H., & Kumar, V. (2001). Anti-diarrhoeal activity of the latex of Calotropis procera. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 76(1), 115–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-8741(01)00219-7
- Sharma, R. (2012). Therapeutic Potential of Calotropis procera: A giant milkweed. IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, 4(2), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.9790/3008-0424257
- Chitme, Havagiray R., Ramesh Chandra, and Sadhna Kaushik. “Studies on anti-diarrhoeal activity of Calotropis gigantea R. Br. in experimental animals.” J Pharm Pharm Sci 7.1 (2004): 70-5.
- Yesmin, Mst Nazma, et al. “Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Calotropis procera Linn.” American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences 4.5 (2008): 550-3.