Abstract

INVITRO CALLUS INDUCTION FROM LEAVES OF IPOMEA TURPETHUM AND STUDY OF ANTITUBERCULOSIS ACTIVITY OF LEAVES AND CALLUS EXTRACT

*Rahna.K.Rathnan, Steny Mary Anto, Emilia Babu, Katrin Joseph and Ambili.M

ABSTRACT

Ipomea turpethum a member of the morning glory family is perhaps one of the most underrated plants. Having a wide variety of uses it has an important place in traditional medicine. Its uses include treatment of fevers, edema, constipation, fistula, obesity etc. recent studies have given convincing proofs regarding activities of the plant that were earlier quite unknown. A few preclinical studies prove that Ipomea possess anti tuberculosis, hepatoprotective, anti laxative, anti inflammatory, anti secretory, anti diarrhoeal and insecticidal properties. Due to rapid destruction of habitat they become extinct day by day. Among the different approaches, in vitro culture method provides new means of conserving and rapidly propagating valuable, rare and endangered medicinal plants .Evidently, there is no sufficient scientific studies that confirm the antituberculosis properties of this plants.The investigation is aimed to carry out callus induction and the antituberculosis activities of leaf and callus extracts of Ipomea turpethum. The leaf segments of Ipomea turpethum were cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP, Kinetin and combination of both. Maximum callus was recorded on medium containing 2ppm BAP. The first callus induction was observed after two weeks of incubation. The antituberculosis properties of leaf and callus extracts were screened by broth dilution method. Among the extract tested, significant inhibitory activity was observed in ethanol extract of leaf callus, the aqueous extract did not show any significant activity.

Keywords: Ipomea turpethum, Medicinal plants, Tissue culture, callus induction, Antituberculosis Activity, MS medium.