Cellular Uptake of Catharanthus roseus-Silver Nanoparticles in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells

@#Introduction: Nanoparticles exhibit unique features and currently at the forefront of cutting-edge research. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the most promising and widely commercialised nanoproducts in various fields. The interaction of these AgNPs with cells remain unclear to connect with its toxicological endpoints. The aim of this study was to investigate the cellular uptake of C. roseus-AgNPs in hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2. Methods: The HepG2 cells were treated with the mean IC50 value of C. roseus-AgNPs which was 4.95±0.26 µg/mL for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The effects were compared with the untreated cells and other treatments which include camptothecin, C. roseus-aqueous extract, and AgNO3 . Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to quantify the intracellular Ag+ and Ca2+, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging was used to visualise the nanoparticle distribution. Results: The HepG2 cells have significantly taken up Ag+ from C. roseus-AgNPs with at least six times higher compared to Ag+ from AgNO3 . The intracellular Ca2+ detected in HepG2 cells for all treatments were significantly higher than the untreated cells, in time-dependent manner. TEM images indicated the endocytosis of C. roseus-AgNPs with the presence of endosomes and exocytic vesicles. Conclusion: The significant accumulation of intracellular Ag+ demonstrated the efficiency of the C. roseus-AgNPs uptake while the increased Ca2+ indicated the early sign of cell injury. The cellular uptake was mainly through endocytosis. These findings are crucial to correlate the physicochemical properties of C. roseus-AgNPs with the anticancer mechanisms towards the development of liver cancer therapy.

Anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-diabetic evaluation of ethanolic leaf extract of Catharanthus roseus alone and in combination therapy

The use of plants in disease treatment is cost effective and relatively safe. This study was designed to investigate anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-diabetic activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Catharanthus roseus alone and in combination therapy in hyperlipidemic & diabetic mice. Eight groups comprising five mice each were used. Group A was hyperlipidemic control, group B, C, D received atorvastatin (20 mg/kg), leaf extract (200 mg/kg) and leaf extract in combination with atorvastatin (200 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) orally for 15 days. Group E was diabetic control. Group F, G, H received sitagliptin (40 mg/kg), leaf extract (200 mg/kg) and extract in combination with sitagliptin (200 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg) orally for 7 days. Blood cholesterol levels were measured at 1st, 5th, 10th and 15th day and fasting blood sugar levels were measured at 2, 12, 24, 72 and 168 hours during treatment. One-way ANOVA with tukey- kramer multiple comparison test was used. The chemical characterization of ethanolic extract of Catharanthus roseus leaves showed presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and flavonoids. Ethanolic extract of Catharanthus roseus has significant anti-hyperlipidemic & anti-diabetic effects (p<0.05, p<0.01) when compared with control but had not cause significantly increase in anti-hyperlipidemic effects of atorvastatin. While significantly increased the antidiabetic effect of sitagliptin (p<0.05)

Determination Of Vindoline And Rutin Content In Five Different Morphotypes Of Catharanthus Roseus Leaves Using Hplc

Objective: To determine total phenolic and flavonoids contents and also quantify vindoline and rutin in different morphotypes of Catharanthus roseus using High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Methods: Total flavonoids content (TFC) was determined by Aluminium chloride colorimetric and total phenolic content (TPC) was estimated by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent assay. The chromatographic separation was done by using a C18 column at room temperature and eluted with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of phosphate buffer (pH=5.8) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/minute and detection was carried out at 254 nm. Results: TPC and TFC content was found highest in Cr00DP and lowest in Cr00WFSRE. Results also showed that the purple morphotypes Cr00DP gives more vindoline (0.3 mg/g) and rutin (18.57 mg/g) concentration compared to the pink morphotype Cr00PFRE contained 18.3 mg/g rutin and 0.2 mg/g vindoline. White morphotypes contained 0.383 mg/g rutin and 0.004 mg/g vindoline which was significantly less as compared to purple and pink morphotypes. Conclusion: The plant has significant number of alkaloids and flavonoids. The obtained outcomes from different morphotypes are thus significant for the purpose of vindoline and rutin isolation from Catharanthus roseus plant. These isolated bioactive phytoconstituents are a good candidate for further pharmacological and clinical study.

Cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of alkaloids extracted from Catharanthus roseus associated endophytic fungi

Aims@#The aim of this study was to isolate the endophytic fungi from Catharanthus roseus and screen the cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of alkaloids extracted from these fungi. @*Methodology and results@#A total of 56 endophytic fungal isolates were screened from C. roseus plant parts. Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium oxysporum were the most frequent species. Determinations of alkaloids extracted from the most dominant endophytic fungal species were done. The highest significant total alkaloids productions were by A. fumigatus and Aspergillus niger, while the least significant one was by Botrytis cinera. Antimicrobial assay of endophytic fungal extracts indicated that both A. niger and F. oxysporum exhibited significant antimicrobial activities, while A. fumigatus exerted the least activity. In vitro cytotoxicity assay of the endophytic fungal extracts was done against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and liver cancer (HEPG-2) cell lines using SRB assay method. A. niger extract showed potential cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell line with IC50 value of 42.1 μg/mL, while the least cytotoxic effect was exhibited by F. oxysporum on MCF-7 cell line with IC50 value of 66.9 μg/mL. Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used for analysis of alkaloids in mycelial and filtrate extracts of A. niger, where eleven compounds were detected. @*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Alkaloids extracted from Catharanthus roseus associated endophytic fungi had cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities.

Catharanthus roseus aqueous extract induces apoptosis, cell cycle and alters the associated gene expression in Jurkat cells

Abstract@#Introduction: The alkaloids present in Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus), vinblastine and vincristine are important anticancer agents that cause cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various types of cell lines. However, there is no previous reports that emphasized the clear mechanisms of anticancer exerted by a crude aquoeus extract of C. roseus although it has been historically used to treat various diseases. Methods: The cytotoxicity effects of C. roseus aqueous extract on Jurkat cells were evaluated by annexin/PI staining, caspase 3/7 assay, JC-1 assay and cell cycle assay. Gene expression profiling was performed by using SmartChip Real-Time PCR system to evaluate the expression profiles of oncology-related genes of Jurkat cells treated with C. roseus aqueous extract. Results: Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the extract has caused S-phase arrest and associated with apoptosis through the externalization of phosphatidylserine and depletion of mitochondrial membrane potential in time-dependent manner. The apoptosis mechanism was mediated through the activation of caspase 3/7. From the gene expression analysis, 8 differentially regulated genes were associated with apoptosis which were CDKN1C, CHI3L2, BIRC8, GFER, ID3-1, BBC3-2, TRAF4 and VCAN. Meanwhile, 7 differentially regulated genes were associated with cell cycle progression which were PIMI-1, CDKN1C, SKP1A, CDC25C, LTBP1, CCNG2 and RBL1. Conclusion: The recent data may facilitate the identification of specific targeting pathways induced by the extract. The information obtained may be used as diagnostic tools, prognostic markers, and predictors of response to C. roseus treatment especially for this particular type of cancer.

Effects of Exogenous Nitric Oxide on Growth and Alkaloid Accumulation of Catharanthus roseus Seedlings under Light-Shading Treatment / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular mechanism of no regulating alkaloid accumulation under light- shading stress. METHODS: The seedlings of Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) were used as material, and the leaves were sampled 7 d later. Leaves growth morphology were studied, the contents of alkaloids and hormones were determined by HPLC and the genes expression were analyzed by fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Under compound treatment (T3), the growth index of leaves from C. roseus significantly increased, and the content of hormones and alkaloids increased significantly. The expression of Myc1 and key genes (G10h, Tdc, Sgd and Str) in the pathway were significantly up-regulated. Correlation analysis showed that the contents of 6-BA and ABA were positively correlated with Myc1 expression (P<0.01); Myc1 expression was positively correlated with the expression of Tdc, Str, Sgd, and Dat (P<0.01); there was a significant positive correlation between the genes expression and alkaloid content (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The exogenous NO donors (SNP) could act as a signaling molecule and regulate the increase of hormones content under light-shading stress, increase the high expression of transcription factors Myc1, activate the expression of key genes in the metabolic pathway of alkaloids, and increase the content of vinblastine and vincristine in C. roseus.

Cost Effective Pilot-scale Ajmalicine Production by Catharanthus roseus Cell Suspension Cultures in a 100 Lit Bioreactor

Aims: The cosmic production of biomass and bioactive compounds at pilot scale with minimum production costs is an important task to achieve feasible production process of corresponding secondary metabolites at a commercial level. Materials and Methods: The cell suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus in MS medium supplemented with 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (9.05 µM), kinetin (4.52 µM) were scaled up in a pilot plant bioreactor (100 lit). The cost of production was reduced by addition of substitute carbon source in a basal medium which hardly costs 30% in the medium. Preliminary studies were performed in the 7-lit bioreactor. A 100 lit stainless steel bioreactor equipped with helical impeller top mounted was used for scale-up of C. roseus suspension cultures and ajmalicine production. Results: The culture medium reduced the cost by 36% by addition of commercial grade sugar whereas medium consist of tissue culture grade sucrose costs 53 USD per 100 lit. The suspension cultures were cultivated in a 100 lit bioreactor containing MS medium fortified with cost-effective carbon source produced ajmalicine 73.18 mg/l DW and achieved 36 kg of fresh biomass on day 20. Conclusion: The results of the present finding demonstrated the feasible and cost-effective production process of ajmalicine at pilot scale.

Characterisation of Silver Nanoparticles using a Standardised Catharanthus roseus Aqueous Extract

@#Introduction: The biosynthesis of nanoparticles has been proposed as a cost-effective and environmental friendly alternative to chemical and physical methods. The present study was aimed to characterise Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus)-silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using a standardised C. roseus aqueous extract. Methods: The standardisation was performed by using Liquid Chromatography/Time-of-Flight ion trap Mass Spectrometry. An optimised C. roseus-AgNPs have been previously synthesised. Further characterisation of C. roseus-AgNPs was evaluated by zeta potential analysis and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results: The chromatography analysis has revealed presence of thirteen possible indole alkaloids in C. roseus extract which were lochrovicine, lochnerine, vinleurosine, vindolinine, tabersonine, catharanthine, serpentine, catharosine, vincristine, catharine, ajmalicine, vinleurosine, and vindolicine. Zeta potential analysis exhibited the value at -16.6 mV. FTIR spectrum of C. roseus aqueous extract showed the absorption band at 3210.83 cm-1 (C-H stretch), 2934.11 (C-H bond), 1578.15 (N=O stretch), 1388.76 and 1314.89 (N=O bend), 1119.29 (C-O bond) and 729.94 (C-Cl bond). In comparison, FTIR spectrum of C. roseus-AgNP s showed the absorption band at 2925.01 and 2924.97 (C-H bond), 1622.93 (C-C=C symmetric stretch), 1383.19 and 1384.13 (N-O bend), 1037.92/1038.76/1238.3/1117.2 (C-O bond), 3169.4 (O-H bond), 774.59 and 691.53 (C-Cl bond). Conclusion: The present findings have shown that the C. roseus aqueous extract contains alkaloids that may responsible as reducing and stabilising agents in the synthesis of AgNPs.

Isolation, characterization and chromatography based purification of antibacterial compound isolated from rare endophytic actinomycetes Micrococcus yunnanensis / 药物分析学报

Endophytic actinomycetes are considered as one of the relatively unexplored potential sources in search of antibiotic producer against antibiotic resistant pathogens. A potent strain isolated from Catharanthus roseus that displays antibacterial potential against antibiotic resistant human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus was characterized and designated as Micrococcus yunnanensis strain rsk5. Rsk5 is capable of producing optimum antibacterial metabolites on starch casein medium at 30 ℃, pH 5 and 2% NaCl condition. The crude antibacterial agent was extracted from fermentation broth by ethyl acetate and separated by TLC using chloroform-methanol (24:1, v/v) solvent system with Rf value of 0.26. It was partially purified by flash chromatography, followed by HPLC and analyzed by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer to get absorption maxima at 208.4 nm. The ESI-MS spectra showed molecular ion peaks at m/z 472.4 [M-H], which does not match with any known antibacterial compound.

Chemical Constituents of Catharanthus roseus / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Catharanthus roseus. METHODS: Various column chromatograghic methods on silica gel, Rp-18, and Sephadex LH-20 were applied for the isolation and purification of the 95% ethanol extract. The structures were elucidated by their physicochemical properties and spectral data. RESULTS: Twenty-two compounds were obtained and identified as ursolic acid (1), daucesterol (2), tetrahydroalstonine (3), 7α-hydroxy-β-sitosterol (4), vindoline (5), β-sitosterol (6), aurantiamide acetate (7), lochnericine (8), oleanolic acid (9), ajmalicine (10), (22E, 24R)-ergosta-7, 22-dien-3β, 5α, 6β-triol (11), betulinic acid (12), stigmasterol (13), quercetin (14), keampferol (15), vindorosine (16), catharanthine (17), diaaurantiamide acetate (18), reserpine (19), panarine (20), serpentine (21), and 16R-E-isositsirikine (22). CONCLUSION: Compounds 4, 7, 11, 13, 18, and 20 are isolated from C. roseus for the first time.

Isolation, characterization and chromatography based purification of antibacterial compound isolated from rare endophytic actinomycetes Micrococcus yunnanensis / 药物分析学报

Endophytic actinomycetes are considered as one of the relatively unexplored potential sources in search of antibiotic producer against antibiotic resistant pathogens. A potent strain isolated from Catharanthus roseus that displays antibacterial potential against antibiotic resistant human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus was characterized and designated as Micrococcus yunnanensis strain rsk5. Rsk5 is capable of producing optimum antibacterial metabolites on starch casein medium at 30 ℃, pH 5 and 2% NaCl condition. The crude antibacterial agent was extracted from fermentation broth by ethyl acetate and separated by TLC using chloroform-methanol (24:1, v/v) solvent system with Rf value of 0.26. It was partially purified by flash chromatography, followed by HPLC and analyzed by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer to get absorption maxima at 208.4 nm. The ESI-MS spectra showed molecular ion peaks at m/z 472.4 [M-H], which does not match with any known antibacterial compound.

Study on content of terpenoid indole alkaloids and transcriptional differences for covalent orca3/g10h in double-gene transgenic hairy roots of Catharanthus roseus / 中草药

Objective: In order to improve the content of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs), orca3/g10h genes were introduced to the hairy roots in Catharanthus roseus. Methods: Bivalent expression vector CAMBIA1304+ +orca3 + g10h was constructed and introduced into Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain and transformed into C. roseus to obtain transgenic hairy roots. RT-qPCR was used to study the transcriptional differences of relative genes referred to the biosynthesis pathway of TIAs. Then HPLC was used to study TIAs content in the transgenic hairy roots of C. roseus, including vinblastine, vincristine, and ajmalicine. Results: The transcriptional level of genes that linked to biosynthesis of TIAs in the transgenic hairy roots of C. roseus, asα, ggpps, g10h, str, tdc, cpr, sgd, and dat, were all expressed higher than those of the nontransgenic roots. HPLC results showed that modified hairy root of C. roseus owned more total TIAs production, 58.23 mg/g, the number was larger than that of common roots in C. roseus as many as 27.5 times. On the other hand, the average content of vinblastine and vincristine was also more than the common roots in C. roseus. Among them, vinblastine content was the most. The number of production got 51.30 mg/g, which was as many as 197.3 times of the common root of C. roseus. Conclusion: Orca3/g10h double-gene transgenic hairy root of C. roseus can increase TIAs content efficiently.

Comparative studies of elemental composition in leaves and flowers of Catharanthus roseus growing in Bangladesh

Objective: To investigate the elemental composition of the leaves and flowers of Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) due to the plant's wide application in the indigenous medicinal system and its chemical constituents' importance. Methods: The atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used for quantitative analysis of various elements. Results: Total 13 important elements were analyzed in leaves and flowers of C. roseus. Results indicated the presence of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cr, Fe, Zn, Al, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd and Mn in both leaves and flowers. The most important finding of the work was that, leaves of C. roseus showed high concentration of all elements except K and Zn while flowers of C. roseus showed higher concentration of K and Zn. Conclusions: The elemental composition in both leaves and flowers of C. roseus were found to be different. Therefore, different parts of this medicinal plant are enriched in some micro and macro nutrients like Fe, Ca, Na, K, Zn, which are very important for biological metabolic system as well as human health.

Advance in biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids and its regulation in Catharanthus roseus / 中国中药杂志

Catharanthus roseus can produce a variety of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIA), most of which exhibit strong pharmacological activities. Hence, biosynthesis and regulation of TIA have received recent attention. 3α (S)-strictosidine is an important node in TIA biosynthesis, which is a condensation product of secologanin and tryptamine. The former is produced in iridoid pathway, and the latter is produced in indole pathway. Vindoline and catharanthine, which are produced respectively by 3α (S)-strictosidine via multi-step enzymatic reaction, can form α-3, 4-anhydrovinblastine by the condensation reaction. Then, vinblastine and vincristine are generated from α-3, 4-anhydrovinblastine. Many transcription factors are involved in the regulation of TIA synthesis, such as AP2/ERF and WRKY. Illumination of biosynthetic pathway has laid a foundation for the study of synthetic biology. Today, 3α (S)-strictosidine and vindoline have been synthesized in heterologous hosts Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Research about synthetic biology and the regulation mechanisms will provide a guidance for the production and development of TIA drugs in C. roseus.

Codon usage bias of Catharanthus roseus / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to provide guidance for the heterogenous gene expression, gene prediction and species evolution by analyzing codon usage bias of Catharanthus roseus.The codon composition and usage bias of 30 437 high-confidence coding sequences from C.roseus were analyzed and the proportion of rare codons of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in 25 genes involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) in C.roseus were calculated.The results showed that the average GC content of the genes was 42.47%; the average GC content of the third bases in codon was 35.89%.The relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) of 28 codons were greater than 1 and 26 of them ended with A or T.The above 25 genes involved in TIA biosynthesis contained much more rare condons of E.coli than that of S.cerevisiae.It was concluded that C.roseus mainly prefered the codons ending with A or T and the rule of codon usage was more different to E.coli than S.cerevisiae.Thus, S.cerevisiae may be more suitable host for heterologous expression of these genes.

Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Callus Extract of Catharanthus roseus var. alba and Assessment of Its Antimicrobial Activity.

Objective: To express a cost efficacious and environment friendly method for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Catharanthus roseus var. alba (C. roseus var. alba) callus extract. Methodology: The aqueous solution of sliver nitrate containing Ag+ ions (1 mM) are integrating 100 μL of aqueous extract of callus of C. roseus var. alba and 10 mL of 1% w/v aqueous solution of polyethylene glycol 4000 to 90 mL. This was then alkalized with 0.1 NaOH (20 μL) and treated in a microwave oven (800 W) for 40 sec for the reduction of metal ion and the reaction takes place at room temperature (250C). The reduction of the Ag+ ions by aqueous callus extract of C. roseus var. alba in the solutions was monitored by UV–Visible spectrum and further characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Antibacterial activity was assessed on bacterial strain of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (S. aureus and P. aeruginosa) by using the disc-diffusion assay method. Results: Characterization of AgNPs was done DLS, TEM and XRD methods. The Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) showed the particle size distribution of the AgNPs synthesized from C. roseus var. alba callus extract was found 86.95 nm with polydispersity index (PDI) value of = 0.304. TEM images showed the formation of AgNPs with an average size of 10 nm to 20 nm. And the XRD analysis showed that the AgNPs were crystalline in nature with face-centered-cubic (FCC). For the assessment of antibacterial activity the concentration of AgNPs 25 μL, 50 μL, 100 μL and 150 μL were used against both the bacterial strain S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, the zone of inhibition found 4 mm, 7 mm, 16 mm and 23 mm as well as 5 mm, 9 mm, 19 mm and 26 mm respectively. Conclusions: Aseptically engendered callus of C. roseus var. alba demonstrates vigorous potential for synthesis of silver nanoparticles by rapid reduction of Ag+ to Ag. The biologically synthesized AgNPs showed more preponderant antibacterial effect against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.

Morphological Anomalies in Somatic Embryo Structure in Catharanthus roseus: Improving Embryo Germination by Amending Plant Growth Regulators, Activated Charcoal and Sucrose Level.

The present study describes the incidence of somatic embryo (SE) irregularities in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. In this ornamental and anti-cancerous medicinal plant, SEs were developed at a very high rate from hypocotyl callus on MS medium, amended with 1.0 mg l-1 naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 1.5 mg l-1benzylaminopurine (BA). But at high (1.5 mg l-1) plant growth regulators (PGRs) levels severe embryo developmental abnormalities were caused. The major aberrant SE types have been described in the present communication. In several cases, the in vitro raised SEs had underdeveloped root ends or with aborted root axis. These irregularities in embryo structure appreciably reduced embryo germination rate and plantlet recovery. Here, we evaluated the effect of various PGRs, activated charcoal (AC), and various levels of sucrose in order to improve SE quality and germination. Medium added with 4.0 % sucrose improved rooting ability and growth. The addition of AC improved plantlet conversion significantly by promoting rooting.

Simultaneous quantitative determination of five alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS / 中国天然药物

AIM@#To establish a method to simultaneously determine the main five alkaloids of Catharanthus roseus for trace samples, a high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis method was developed.@*METHOD@#The five Catharanthus alkaloids, vinblastine, vincristine, vinleurosine, vindoline, and catharanthine were chromatographically separated on a C18 HPLC column. The mobile phase was methanol-15 nmol·L(-1) ammonium acetate containing 0.02% formic acid (65 : 35, V/V). The quantification of these alkaloids was based on the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode.@*RESULTS@#This method was validated, and the results achieved the aims of the study. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy of the five alkaloids were within 1.2%-11.5% (RSD%) and -10.9%-10.5% (RE%). The recovery rates of the five alkaloids of samples were from 79.9% to 91.5%. The five analytes were stable at room temperature for 2 h, at 4 °C for 12 h, and at -20 °C for two weeks. The developed method was applied successfully to determine the content of the five alkaloids in three plant parts of three batches of C. roseus with a minute amount collected from three regions of China.@*CONCLUSION@#The HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method can be used for the simultaneous determination of five important alkaloids in trace C. roseus samples.

Antifungal properties of selected plants of Apocynaceae family against the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans.

The ethnobotanical evaluation of plant based chemicals has proven themselves greatly in last few decades. Plants have been a rich source of therapeutic agents and form the basis of traditional medicine system. On the basis of this, in vitro antifungal activities of extracts of Catharanthus roseus, Nerium oleander and Taberenemontana divaricata leaf extracts were evaluated in the present study by 96 well microtiter plate assays using human fungal pathogen Candida albicans ATCC90028 strain. The activity was measured by spectophotometric methods to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The Minimum Fungicidal Concentrations (MFC) for the extracts was also determined by a plate assay. The distilled water extract, petroleum ether extract, methanolic extract, ethyl acetate extract and sequential distilled water leaf extracts of all the plants showed potential activity against C. albicans ATCC 90028. The study ascertains the value of Apocynaceae plants, which could be of considerable interest to the development of new safer antifungals.