Pharmacological Studies of Leaves of Manilkara Zapota (Sapotaceae)

Manilkara zapota (Sapotaceae), commonly known as Sofeda, Sobeda or Chikku is an important medicinal plant having various ethno pharmacological uses. It is cultivated throughout Bangladesh and India,though it is native to Mexico and Central America.The plant M.zapota is a fairly slow-growing, long-lived tree, upright and elegant and distinctly pyramidal when young. Its leaves are highly ornamental, evergreen, glossy, alternate, spirally clustered at the tips of the forked twigs; elliptic and pointed at both ends. In this study, several important pharmacological activities of the ethanolic crude extract and different solvent soluble fractions of the leaves of the plant were investigated. The plant demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, anti-pyretic properties in experimental animal model. It also showed the presence of promising antidiarrheal, antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. The findings of the studies prove some important biological activities of the plant which provide scientific support for the traditional use of M.zapota in the treatment of various diseases in ethnomedicine.