Evaluation of the colchicine-like activity of Gloriosa superba-extracted fractions for mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) cytogenetic study

• Main Authors: Choochote W., Rongsriyam K., Pitasawat B., Jitpakdi A., Rattanachanpichai E., Junkum A., Tuetun B., Chaiwong P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-3342887227&partnerID=40&md5=2f6961789be874cf18909454fe2bd46c; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15311459; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/4023
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Four fractions of Gloriosa superba L., i.e., hexane fraction, dichloromethane fraction 1, dichloromethane fraction 2, and methanol fraction, were investigated for colchicine-like activity using a mosquito cytogenetic assay. The results revealed that the latter three fractions yielded promisingly high colchicine-like activity, whereas the hexane fraction yielded very low activity compared with 1% colchicine in a 0.85% sodium chloride solution. The metaphase rates and average number of metaphase chromosomes per positive brain ganglion (range) of Aedes aegypti L. larvae after incubation with 0.25-2% solutions of dichloromethane fraction 1, dichloromethane fraction 2, 0.5-2% solutions of methanol fraction, and 1% colchicine solution were 90-100% and 7 (2-19) to 22 (7-47); 90-100% and 4 (1-11) to 30 (4-73); 95-100% and 11 (1-28) to 17 (2-62); and 100% and 6 (2-11), respectively. The temperature stability tests of the three promising fractions were performed by heating 0.5% working solution at 121°C for 15 min and preparing 0.5% working solution from stock frozen at -20°C for 10 mo. These fractions also yielded satisfactory outcomes of metaphase rates and an average number of metaphase chromosomes per positive brain ganglia compared with 1% colchicine solution.