Abstract:
Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder and is a major health concern in
many parts of India, Mediterranian and Africa. Sickling of red cell occurs
due to the polymerization of mutant haemoglobin. As this being a disease
commonly observed among the tribes or aborigines, they have developed
ethno-medicinal practices to combat the disease. Based on the traditional
knowledge, an attempt was made to verify the anti-sickling properties of
certain commonly available fruits. Blood cells were obtained from sickle
cell patients and the sickling of the blood cells was confirmed using the
sodium-metabisuphite test. Aqueous fruit extract was prepared by
homogenizing at a concentration of 10% (w/v) excluding the seed. To the
sickle blood metabisulphite preparation, 5µL fruit extracts were added and
observed for anti-sickling property. Controls were prepared by adding the
fruit extract to normal blood metabisulphite preparation. Among the ten
fruit extracts studied only Rubes ellipticus and Solanum nigrum shown to
have anti-sickling property. Rubes ellipticus and S. nigrum are locally
available common plants and are considered to have high medicinal
property by the tribes dwelling in the Nilgiri hills. The result validates the
usage of these plants and suggests detailed phyto-chemical evaluation to
identify the active principle behind this and the mechanism of action.