Myra Villareal

The harsh environment that plants in the semi-arid and arid regions are exposed to induced the plants to adapt in order to survive, and in the process, produce numerous bioactive compounds with therapeutic or medicinal properties. Extracts of arid land plants Cymbopogon schoenanthus, Crithmum maritimum, and Rhanterium suaveolens were evaluated for their effects on immediate-type allergy and melanin biosynthesis using RBL- 2H3 basophilic cells and B16 murine melanoma cells, respectively. MTT assay done to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the extracts revealed non-cytotoxic effects at low concentrations. β-hexosaminidase release inhibition assay revealed that the extracts significantly inhibited mas cell degranulation while melanin assay results showed significant melanin biosynthesis regulatory effects in B16 cells. This is a preliminary study to evaluate the bioactivities of arid plants C. schoenanthus, C. maritimum, and R. suaveolens. Futher studies are being undertaken to understand the mechanism underlying the observed effects.