Pharmacological studies on seeds of Alangium salvifolium Linn

The seeds of Alangium salvifolium Linn. have been traditionally reported to exhibit a variety of biological activities, including antidiabetic, anticancer, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, laxative, and antiepileptic activities. The objective of this study was to verify the traditional claims and to evaluate the seeds of Alangium salvifolium in various organic extracts to screen the antidiabetic, antiepileptic, analgesic and antiinflammatory activities. The chloroform, ethanol, and water extracts of Alangium salvifolium seeds were obtained and subjected for phytochemical screening and evaluated for their pharmacological activities. From the acute toxicity study it was observed that chloroform, ethanol, and aqueous extracts of Alangium salvifolium seeds are non-toxic at a fixed dose of 2000 mg/kg. Among all three extracts ethanol extracts exhibited significant (p < 0.01) antidiabetic, antiepileptic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, steroids and tannins. The results of present study verified the traditional claims made by ayurvedic practitioner. However, the chemical constituents responsible for the pharmacological activities remain to be investigated.