DL of C. procera has the potential for anti-cancer therapy due to its differentiable targets and non-interference with regular pathway of apoptosis.

The latex of the plant Calotropis procera has been reported to exhibit potent antiinflammatory activity against carrageenin and formalin that are known to release various mediators. In the present study, we have evaluated the efficacy of extracts prepared from the latex of C procera against inflammation induced by histamine, serotonin, compound 48/80, bradykinin (BK), and prostaglandin E2(PGE2) in the rat paw oedema model. The paw oedema was induced by the subplantar injection of various inflammagens and oedema volume was recorded using a plethysmometer. The aqueous and methanol extracts of the dried latex (DL) and standard antiinflammatory drugs were administered orally 1 hour before inducing inflammation. The inhibitory effect of the extracts was also evaluated against cellular influx induced by carrageenin. The antiinflammatory effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts of DL was more pronounced than phenylbutazone (PBZ) against carrageenin while it was comparable to chlorpheniramine and PBZ against histamine and PGE2, respectively. Both extracts produced about 80%, 40%, and 30% inhibition of inflammation induced by BK, compound 48/80, and serotonin. The histological analysis revealed that the extracts were more potent than PBZ in inhibiting cellular infiltration and subcutaneous oedema induced by carrageenin. The extracts of DL exert their antiinflammatory effects mainly by inhibiting histamine and BK and partly by inhibiting PGE2.

Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema model. In the present study, we have evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of IL-1beta against inflammation induced by local administration of the methanol extract of dried latex of Calotropis procera (MeDL) and compared it with that against carrageenan. The anti-inflammatory activity of standard anti-inflammatory drugs, phenylbutazone (PBZ) and dexamethasone (DEX), was also evaluated against both inflammagens. Injection of an aqueous solution of dried latex and MeDL into the sub-plantar surface of the rat paw produced intense inflammation with a peak response occurring within 2 h, while the peak inflammatory response with carrageenan was obtained at 3 h. Subcutaneous injection of IL-1beta was found to be more effective against the inflammatory response elicited by carrageenan (70% inhibition) as compared to MeDL (50% inhibition) at 20microg/kg dose. On the other hand, PBZ effectively inhibited the inflammatory response elicited by both MeDL and carrageenan, while DEX was more effective against carrageenan. Thus, our study indicates that the difference in the anti-inflammatory effect of IL-1beta against latex of C. procera extract and carrageenan is due to the release of different mediators released by these inflammagens.