Protective role of Plumbago zeylanica extract against the toxic effects of ethinylestradiol in the third instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg9 and cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes

In the present study the effects of Plumbago zeylanica extract were studied against the toxic effects induced by 10 μM of ethinylestradiol in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes using chromosomal aberrations as a parameter and in the third instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg9 (by 0.50 and 1.0 μl/mL of ethinylestradiol) using hsp70 expression as a parameter. The selected doses of P. zeylanica extract i.e. 1.075x10–4, 2.125x10–4, 3.15x10–4 and 4.17x10–4 g/mL were not toxic but were potent enough to reduce significantly the toxic effects induced by ethinylestradiol in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The selected doses for the estimation of hsp70 expression in the third instar larvae of transgenic D. melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ) Bg9. i.e. 1, 2, 4 and 6 µl/mL were not toxic though reduced significantly the expression of hsp70 induced by 0.5 and1.0 µl/mL of ethinylestradiol.