Anticancer Activity of Maytenus emarginata Leaves and Stems:A Comparative Study

Medicinal plants are the most exclusive source of life saving drugs for the majority of the world's population. The pharmacological evaluation of substances from plants is a method for the discovery of new compounds which can leads to the development of novel and safe medicinal agents. Based on traditional literature, Maytenus emarginata (Celastraceae) is an evergreen tree, commonly known as "thorny staff tree" in English. In present study the leaves and stems of Maytenus emarginata were extracted with methanol to produce respective extracts. The extracts were screened for anti cancer activity by using Antimitotic activity by Allium cepa method, Seed germination assay by green gram seeds and Brine shrimp lethality test using Artemia salina eggs. Methotrexate was used as standard anticancer drug. Current study demonstrates that the obtained results of leaves extracts were more potent than the stems extracts.