Abstract
As part of a scientific appraisal of some of the folkloric and ethnomedical uses of Calotropis gigantea L. (Family: Asclepiadaceae), the present study was designed to evaluate the antitumour activity of the Calotropis gigantea flower against Ehrlich's ascites carcinoma (EAC) by using a crude ethyl acetate extract from the flower of Calotropis gigantea (designated as EECF) in Swiss mice. EECF was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight. Bleomycin (0.3 mg/kg) was used as a positive control. EECF treatment significantly decreased both viable tumour cells and body weight gain induced by the tumour burden and prolonged survival time. The haematological and biochemical (glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, blood urea, ALP, SGPT and SGOT) parameters altered during tumour progression, were also significantly restored in EECF-treated mice. Among the three doses tested, the highest dose was the most potent and comparable with the standard drug bleomycin (0.3 mg/kg). In conclusion, EECF from the Calotropis gigantea flower has a potent inhibitory effect against EAC cells in a dose dependent manner.