Prashith Kekuda TR, Raghavendra HL, Mallikarjun N, Venugopal TM, Anil Kumar HS
Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb is belongs to the family Moraceae and is called Monkey jack and Lakoocha. In the present study, we investigated elemental composition of fruit pericarp and anticariogenic, pancreatic lipase inhibitory and cytotoxic activity of methanol extract of pericarp. The elemental analysis was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Anticariogenic activity was determined against 12 isolates of mutans streptococci by Agar well diffusion method. Pancreatic lipase activity of different concentrations of pericarp extract was tested against chicken pancreatic lipase. Cytotoxic activity was tested by Brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Among the principal elements, potassium was present in high concentration followed by magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. Among trace elements, high concentration of iron was detected followed by zinc, manganese and copper. The extract caused inhibition of cariogenic bacteria and the inhibition caused by the extract was lesser when compared to standard antibiotic. The extract caused inhibition of pancreatic lipase in a dose dependent manner and highest inhibition (82.49%) was observed at concentration 1000mg/ml. The lethal nature of extract towards brine shrimp was directly proportional to the concentration of the extract. The LC50 was found to be 452.49μg/ml. Preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of tannins and alkaloids. The fruit may be consumed as a source of important elements. The bioactivities of the extract could be attributed to the presence of secondary metabolites. Further study is required to isolate and characterize the active constituents and to determine their bioactivities.
