Tuberculosis still remains a leading cause of death in the world. Currently considerable interest in natural products and their derivatives in the area of drug research for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The present investigation focused on identification, isolation, characterization of lead constituents and to determine the antitubercular activity of their enriched fractions and isolated compounds by Nitrate reductase assay (NRA) method. Leaves extracted with ethanol by soxhlet extraction and ethanol extract separated in petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol by separating funnel and fractionated by column chromatography. Ethanol extract, petroleum ether and chloroform fraction showed antitubercular activity at 150 mg/mL. Isolated HEA-2, CM-20 and CM-24 showed MIC at 100 while PE-34 at 50 and 100 mg/ mL. b-sitosterol content in chloroform and petroleum ether fractions was calculated by using HPTLC. Pet. ether and chloroform fractions of ethanol extract which contains betulinic acid, ursolic acid and b -sitosterol shows anti- TB activity. HPTLC, IR, 1 H NMR and GC-MS study of isolated PE-34 gave satisfactory results for confirmation of the structure as ursolic acid with significant antitubercular potential.

Vitex negundo Linn, known as chaste tree, belongs to Verbenaceae family. It is a woody medicinal tree; an aromatic and flowering-ornamental plant has different ethnobotanical and pharmacological uses. The aims of this study included phytochemical analysis, detection of two flavonoids by TLC, GC/MS analysis of hexane extract, and the antioxidant estimation in leaves of Iraqi Vitex negundo activity. The results showed the important phytochemicals in hydroalcoholic and hexane extracts. In addition, the main constituents obtained by GC MS were Sabinene 3.23% and Pinene 0.87% as monoterpenes, alpha-Farnesene 0.5%, Pregnan-3,11-diol-20-one 1.55%, and alpha-Tocopherol 1.55%. Those Iraqi Vitex negundo L. were considered as an important source for chemical constituents with a significant antioxidant activity at low concentration with IC50 26.7, as compared with ascorbic acid.

Background & Objectives: Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women so that it is the second common cancer (after lung cancer) in women. Vitex pseudo negundo is used as a traditional medicine. Recently, the biological activities of Vitex pseudo negundo plants have been reported as possessing anticancer, antibacterial, antiulcer and antifungal properties. However, the antitumor effects of this medicine have not been studied in cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of Vitex pseudo negundo fruit on breast cancer cell lines.Materials & Methods: Breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines were cultured in DMEM medium. Vitex pseudo negundo fruit was extracted; and different dilutions of Vitex pseudo negundo extract (5mg/mL to 100mg/mL) were added to cell culture. Cell viability was quantitated by MTT assay after 72 hours.Results: The findings indicate that the extract of Vitex pseudo negundo fruit on MCF7 cancer cell lines had cytotoxicity in all concentrations and the highest inhibition was 50 and 100 mg/ml concentrations.Conclusion: Our study shows that Vitex pseudo negundo fruit extract has cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, It seems that Vitex pseudo negundo fruit could be considered as a promising chemotherapeutic agent in cancer treatment.

In Ayurveda, Vitex negundo (VN) is used as a drug to manage pain, inflammation, problems related to polycystic ovary disease and the menstrual cycle. The bioactive compounds isolated from this plant exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and microbicidal properties. The shrub Vitex negundo is known for its role in the modulation of cellular events like apoptosis and cell cycle. There is still a scarcity of data in the literature on the cytotoxic activity of Vitex negundo extracts on ovarian cancer. Hence, in this study, the phytochemical composition, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities of leaf extracts were evaluated. The chloroform and methanol fractions exhibited higher phenolic content (161.04 ± 0.02 mg/g GAE and 152.56 ± 0.05 mg/g GAE respectively) as compared to other fractions. The aqueous and petroleum ether fractions exhibited higher flavonoid content (515.27 ± 0.28 mg/g QE and 211.82 ± 0.05 mg/g QE respectively). The acetone and methanol extracts showed significant anti-oxidant capacities. Both leaf extracts of Vitex negundo inhibited PA1 cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values of 88.01 ± 3.14 and 112.30 ± 1.93 μg/ml respectively, as compared to the standard drug Doxorubicin with IC50 value 2.91 μg/ml (p < 0.05, One - Way ANOVA). The Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis allowed us to identify twenty- five bioactive compounds in acetone extract and twenty- two compounds in methanol extract. Therefore, further studies should focus on the isolation of novel compounds, which are more effective and less toxic, and constitute interesting substitutes for the development of anti-cancer drugs.