Sunita Shailajan*, Neelam Sayed and Bhavesh Tiwari
Herbal Research Lab, Ramnarain Ruia College, Matunga (E), Mumbai 400019, INDIA.
Pharmacognosy Communications,2013,3,3,16-21.
DOI:10.5530/pc.2013.3.4
Published:August 2013
Type:Research Article
ABSTRACT
Background: Seeds of Asteracantha longifolia Nees. (Acanthaceae) are an important ingredient in many traditional/herbal formulations used in the management of a wide range of reproductive disorders. They are reported to posses various therapeutically active phytochemical constituents like asteracanthine, lupeol, asterol, β-sitosterol etc. Materials and Methods: In this research work, seeds collected from various geographical regions were analyzed using two chromatographic techniques (HPTLC and HPLC). A comparative evaluation of β-sitosterol content in respective samples using these techniques has been carried out and discussed. Both the chromatographic methods have been validated as per ICH guidelines and applied to evaluate the content of β-sitosterol in formulations containing seeds of A. longifolia. Results: Variation in the β-sitosterol content of A. longifolia seeds collected from different geographical regions was observed. Seeds collected from Aligarh were found rich in β-sitosterol while sample from Pen showed minimum content. The methods were also found applicable to evaluate the β-sitosterol content in some traditional/ herbal formulations of A. longifolia seeds. Conclusions: Impact of geographical variation on the content of β-sitosterol in the plant samples was clearly evident from the findings of the current work. There exists a definite impact of climatic and edaphic conditions over the marker content of medicinal plants.
Keywords: Asteracantha longifolia Nees., HPLC, HPTLC, regional variation, seeds.