An in vitro study on anti-sickling activity of Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia bellirica

Combretaceae family is   known for efficacy in the management of sickle cell disorder (SCD). Based on   the earlier reports of anti-sickling property of Terminalia genus the study investigates in vitro antisickling properties of Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia   bellirica. Anti-sickling   assay of methanolic and aqueous extract of T. arjuna and T. bellirica   on sickled RBCs were evaluated at different concentrations. The osmotic   fragility test was done to explore the effect of extracts on haemoglobin S   solubility and sickle cell membrane stability. Additionally antioxidant   activity and phytochemical analysis of extracts was evaluated. Treatment with the plant extracts at different concentrations showed decrease in percentage of sickled cells. Extract of T. arjuna had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) antisickling activity at the tested concentrations of 10 mg/ml. The methanolic extract at 10 mg/ml showed the best cell membrane stability as compared to T. bellirica extract. It was observed that, T. bellirica extract was deficient of alkaloid and tannins. Moreover, all extracts/fractions showed antioxidant activity, although lesser as compared to the standard.  It was observed that the leaf extracts of T. arjuna has a significant antisickling effect, hence it can be potentially used in clinical management of SCD. The bioactive compounds can be used to supplement as well as management drug for sickle cell disease.