EVALUATION OF DIURETIC ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF LEAVES OF MARSILEA QUADRIFOLIA LINN.

*Gomathi Venkatachalam and Jaykar Balasundaram

ABSTRACT

The present study was carried out to evaluate the Diuretic activity of the leaves of the plant Marsilea quadrifolia Linn based on the traditional use of the plant. The plant leaves were collected, dried and then subjected to Soxhlet extraction with various solvents from non-polar to polar. The extraction was carried out for 72 hrs with petroleum ether and ethanol. The aqueous extraction was carried out by cold maceration process. Then the extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. Based on the preliminary phytochemical studies, the ethanolic extract was selected for the evaluation of Diuretic activity by in -vivo, Lipschitz test method using Frusemide as the standard drug. The ethanolic extract of M.quadrifolia showed a dose-dependent increase in both water (urine) excretion and excretion of Na+, K+, Cl- ions. From the results, both the doses of ethanolic extract (200mg/kg & 400mg/kg) showed significant diuretic activity by increasing the total urine output and increasing the excretion of Na+, K+, Cl- salts. Thus this plant can be used as a diuretic drug source and it seems to have lesser side effects when compared to that of the synthetic drugs.

Keywords: Diuretics, Marsilea quadrifolia Linn, Soxhlet extraction, Lipschitz test, Frusemide.