– 567 – Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines 2014, 12(8): 0567 0572 Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines Anthelmintic, antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of Caltha palustris var. alba Kashmir, India Sofi Mubashir 1 , Mohd Yousuf Dar 1 , Bashir A. Lone 2 , M. Iqbal Zargar 3 , Wajaht A. Shah 1* 1 Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar-190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India; 2 Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India; 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar, 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India Available online 20 August 2014 [ABSTRACT] The methanolic extract obtained from the root portion of Caltha palustris var. alba was evaluated for its anthelmintic efficacy against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep under both in vitro and in vivo conditions using worm motility inhibition (WMI) assay and fecal egg count reduction (FECR) assay, respectively. The extract was subjected to antimicrobial activity using agar-well diffu- sion method against different bacterial strains. In addition the extract was evaluated for cytotoxic and antioxidant activity against cultured THP-1(Leukemia), A-549 (Lung), HCT-15 (Colon), Cervix (HeLa) and PC-3(Prostrate) cell lines by SRB and DPPH rad- ical scavenging assays. The extract used resulted in mean %WMI of 94.44%, as observed when the worms were put in lukewarm buffer for 30 min af- ter exposure to different treatments. The mean mortality index of the sample was 0.95. The lethal concentration (LC50) was 0.11 mg·mL −1 . Cell lines were exposed to concentration of 100 μg·mL −1 of extract for 48 h, which reduced the viability of these cell lines. The same plant extract also showed 55.58% DPPH radical scavenging activity. [KEY WORDS] Caltha palustris var. alba; Anthelmintic activity ( in vivo and in vitro); Antimicrobial activity; Cytotoxic activity; Radical scavenging activity [CLC Number] R965 [Document code] A [Article ID] 2095-6975(2014)08-0567-06 Introduction Gastrointestinal parasitism is a significant obstacle in the breeding of sheep and goats [1] . Parasitism, especially by hel- minth species, impairs health by causing lack of app etite, diarrhea, anemia and, in severe cases, death. Synthetic an- thelmintics have been used throughout the world for decades to minimize the losses caused by helminth infections. How- ever, anthelmintic resistance in nematodes has become a ma- jor practical problem in many countries [2] . Parasite resistance increases costs, reduces production efficiency, and increases the risk of environmental contamination. Frequent use, in- creased dosage, and increased application rate all correlate with declining effectiveness [3] . These disadvantages have stimulated a search for alternative control methods, such as [Received on] 09-Apr.-2013 [*Corresponding author] Wajaht A. Shah: Prof., E-mail: doctorwa- jaht@gmail.com These authors have no conflict of interest to declare. Copyright © 2014, China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved the use of traditional medicinal plants. Screening and proper evaluation of medicinal plants could reveal bioactive compounds that may be sustainable and environmentally acceptable [4] . Caltha palustris var. alba (Cambess.) Hook. f. & Thom- son (Ranunculaceae), white marsh-marigold, is a perennial plant commonly distributed in wet lands in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In India, this plant frequently occurs in the marshes, wet meadows and in the water pools of mountain areas. The plant is used as an antispasmodic and sedative [5] and is a rich source of phenols, alkaloids, cyano- genic compounds and acrid principles [6-8] . Previous studies have led to the isolation of 24-norlupane lactones from an alcoholic extract of C. palustris. The structure of a new triter- pene lactone, palustrolide, was elucidated as 3β, 23-dihy- droxylupan-13β, 28 lactone on the basis of physicochemical studies. In addition, β-sitosterol, its glucoside, hederagenin, 16, 17-dihydroxykauran-19-oic acid, and hederagenic acid have been characterized [9] . The terpenoids linalool oxide (pyranoid) and -muurolene were also reported from C. palustris [10] . Pro- toanemonin is widespread in the Ranunculaceae [11-13] and this compound shows insecticidal activity against Drosophila melanogaster M eigen and Tribolium castaneum Herbst [14] . In