Objective: To explore the identity and phylogenetic relationships among the three medicinally important species of Sphaerostephanos from South India using isozymic profile. Methods: The young fronds were homogenized with 3.5 mL of ice-cold homogenizing buffer in a pre-chilled pestle and mortar. The supernatant was subjected to electrophoresis as described by Anbalagan poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Staining solutions for isoperoxidase was prepared as per Smila method for the detection of isoenzymes. Results: A total of six different bands in five different positions with different molecular weight/Rf values and four active zones have been observed in the isoperoxidase enzyme system of Sphaerostephanos. Only one band with MW/Rf 0.399 is common to two different species i.e. Sphaerostephanos arbuscula (S. arbuscula) andSphaerostephanos unitus (S. unitus). Among the remaining four bands, two bands (Rf. 0.23, 0.47) are present in Sphaerostephanos subtruncatus (S. subtruncatus) and one distinct band has been observed individually in S. arbuscula (Rf. 0.507) and S. unitus (Rf. 0.56). Conclusions: The present preliminary molecular study through isozymic analysis shows the identity of all the three species and the present results confirm distinctness of these three species based on macro-micromorphology, phytochemistry and cytology.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the preliminary phytochemical analysis and UV-VIS, HPTC profiling and the antibacterial activity of Gracilaria corticata J. Ag extracts against the Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out by Harborne method. The G. corticata extracts were tested against bacteria by the agar disc diffusion method. Results: The results of the presence study showed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, phenolic groups, saponins, tannin, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides and sugars. Proteins, xantoproteins, coumarins and catechin did not show any positive result for their presence in any of the six extracts of Gracilaria corticata tested. The result of the present study revealed the various behavior character of Gracilaria corticata crude drug. The UV-VIS spectrum profile of Gracilaria corticata methanolic, petroleum ether, benzene and aqueous extracts profiles were recorded. The HPLC profile of Gracilaria corticata petroleum ether benzene and aqueous extracts were tabulated. The maximum (9/12 bacterial pathogens) degree of antibacterial activity was observed in isopropanol soxhlet extracts followed by isopropanol cold extracts (7/12 bacterial pathogens). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that G. corticata may be rich sources of phytoconstituents which can be isolated and further screened for different kinds of biological activities, depending on their reported therapeutic uses.

Objective: The present study was aimed to explore phytochemical constituents present in Dictyota bartayresiana Lamour and produce the UV-VIS and HPLC spectrum profile for Dictyotabartayresiana. Methods: Phytochemical screening of the extracts was carried out according to the standard methods. For the HPLC analysis, the methanol: water (45:55) was used as mobile phase. Results: The phytochemical results showed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, phenolic groups, saponins, tannins, glycosides and sugars. The UV- VIS profile of methanolic, petroleum ether, chloroform, isopropanol of D. bartayresiana extract showed various peaks with different functional groups. The HPLC profile of D. bartayresiana petroleum ether, chloroform and benzene extracts showed some prominent and moderate peaks with different retention time. Conclusions:The results of the present study showed that Dictyota bartayresiana Lamour may be rich sources of phytoconstituents which can be isolated and further screened for different kinds of biological activities, depending on their reported therapeutic uses.

Objective: To identify the flavonoids HPTLC profile (bio-marker), at species level, for the identification and confirmation of crude drugs, HPTLC separation was initiated on different parts of Aerva lanata (A. lanata) L. from South India. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening was done by following the method of Harborne. HPTLC studies were carried out following Harborne and)Wagner et al method. The ethyl acetate-butanone-formic acid-water (5:3:1:1) was employed as mobile phase for flavonoids. Results: The methanolic extract of stem, leaves, root, flower and seeds of A. lanata showed the presence of 19 different types of flavonoids with 19 different Rf values with range 0.05 to 0.98. In general more degree of flavonoids diversity has been observed in vegetative parts when compared to the reproductive part. Maximum number of flavonoids has been observed in leaves followed by root and leaves. Conclusions: The results of the present study supplement the folkloric usage of the studied plants which possess several known and unknown bioactive compounds with bio-activity. By isolating and identifying these bioactive compounds new drugs can be formulated to treat various diseases. It can be concluded that constituents of A. lanata have effective components which can be utilized as useful herb for alleviation of various illness and disorder.

Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the preliminary phytochemical analysis and HPTLC profiling and the antibacterial activity of P. pterocarpum methanolic flower extracts against the bacteria isolated from human infections. Methods: The preliminary phytochemical screening was performed according to the Harborne method. HPTLC studies were carried out using Harborne and Wagner et al method. The methanolic flower extracts of P. pterocarpum were tested against Salmonella typhi (MTCC 733), Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 96), Proteus mirabilis (MTCC 742), Bacillus subtilis (MTCC 441) and Escherichia coli (MTCC 443). The antimicrobial activity was tested through well diffusion method. Results: The phytochemical studies on methanolic flower extract of Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) Baker ex Heyne. revealed the presence of glycosides, flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, catechin and alkaloids. The HPTLC separation was achieved using ethyl acetate-methanol-ethanol-water (8.1: 1.1: 0.4: 0.8) as the mobile phase. The methanolic extract of P. pterocarpum showed four different Rf values 0.16, 0.31, 0.77 and 0.82 which indicated various glycosides present in the flower extract. The methanolic extract of P. pterocarpum showed the maximum zone of inhibition against Proteus mirabilis followed by Salmonella typhi. Conclusion: Bio-assay revealed the presence of specific and selective antimicrobial compounds in the fractions. Broad range activity of plant extracts as per observations in this study was due to presence of multiple antimicrobial compounds or synergic effects of these compounds. Therefore, standardization of active fractions and study for in vivo efficacy may result in development of better antimicrobial drugs.

Objective: To evaluate the phytochemical properties of Azolla pinnata R. Br., Marsilea minuta L. and Salvinia molesta Mitch. Methods: The dried and powered leaves materials (50 g) were extracted successively with 250 mL of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol, chloroform, acetone, benzene and water by using Soxhlet extractor for 8 h at a temperature not exceeding the boiling point of the solvent. Phytochemical screening of the extracts was carried out according to the standard methods. Results: Out of eighteen tested extracts, eighteen extracts showed the presence of phenolics. Next to that, fourteen extracts were illustrated their existence of tannin. Ten extracts showed the occurrence of carbohydrates in the crude extracts of the selected plants. Steroid and saponin are present in eight extracts, next to that xanthoprotein is present in six extracts, followed by flavonoid and protein which are present in five extracts. Carboxylic acid showed its presence only in two extracts. Conclusions: From the results, it can be concluded that the three plants extracts show the presence of many bioactive compounds after extensive investigation. We recommend further research on these plants to quantify the concentration of these compounds. Further work will accentuate the isolation and characterization of active principles responsible for bio-efficacy and bioactivity.

OBJECTIVETo explore the identity and phylogenetic relationships among the three medicinally important species of Sphaerostephanos from South India using isozymic profile.

METHODSThe young fronds were homogenized with 3.5 mL of ice-cold homogenizing buffer in a pre-chilled pestle and mortar. The supernatant was subjected to electrophoresis as described by Anbalagan poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Staining solutions for isoperoxidase was prepared as per Smila method for the detection of isoenzymes.

RESULTSA total of six different bands in five different positions with different molecular weight/Rf values and four active zones have been observed in the isoperoxidase enzyme system of Sphaerostephanos. Only one band with MW/Rf 0.399 is common to two different species i.e. Sphaerostephanos arbuscula (S. arbuscula) and Sphaerostephanos unitus (S. unitus). Among the remaining four bands, two bands (Rf. 0.23, 0.47) are present in Sphaerostephanos subtruncatus (S. subtruncatus) and one distinct band has been observed individually in S. arbuscula (Rf. 0.507) and S. unitus (Rf. 0.56).

CONCLUSIONSThe present preliminary molecular study through isozymic analysis shows the identity of all the three species and the present results confirm distinctness of these three species based on macro-micromorphology, phytochemistry and cytology.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; India ; Isoenzymes ; analysis ; Peroxidases ; analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; classification ; enzymology ; Staining and Labeling ; Tracheophyta ; classification ; enzymology

OBJECTIVETo develop the reproducible in vitro propagation protocols for the medicinally important plants viz., Achyranthes aspera (A. aspera) L. and Achyranthes bidentata (A. bidentata) Blume using nodal segments as explants.

METHODSYoung shoots of A. aspera and A. bidentata were harvested and washed with running tap water and treated with 0.1% bavistin and rinsed twice with distilled water. Then the explants were surface sterilized with 0.1% (w/v) HgCl2 solutions for 1 min. After rinsing with sterile distilled water for 3-4 times, nodal segments were cut into smaller segments (1 cm) and used as the explants. The explants were placed horizontally as well as vertically on solid basal Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 3% sucrose, 0.6% (w/v) agar (Hi-Media, Mumbai) and different concentration and combination of 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP), kinetin (Kin), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indole acetic acid (IAA) for direct regeneration.

RESULTSAdventitious proliferation was obtained from A. aspera and A. bidentata nodal segments inoculated on MS basal medium with 3% sucrose and augmented with BAP and Kin with varied frequency. MS medium augmented with 3.0 mg/L of BAP showed the highest percentage (93.60±0.71) of shootlets formation for A. aspera and (94.70±0.53) percentages for A. bidentata. Maximum number of shoots/explants (10.60±0.36) for A. aspera and (9.50±0.56) for A. bidentata was observed in MS medium fortified with 5.0 mg/L of BAP. For A. aspera, maximum mean length (5.50±0.34) of shootlets was obtained in MS medium augmented with 3.0 mg/L of Kin and for A. bidentata (5.40±0.61) was observed in the very same concentration. The highest percentage, maximum number of rootlets/shootlet and mean length of rootlets were observed in 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L of IBA. Seventy percentages of plants were successfully established in polycups. Sixty eight percentages of plants were well established in the green house condition. Sixty five percentages of plants were established in the field.

CONCLUSIONSThe results have shown that use of nodal buds is an alternative reproducible and dependable method for clonal propagation of A. aspera and A. bidentata. The high rate of direct shoot-root multiplication and their high rate of post-hardening survival indicate that this protocol can be easily adopted for commercial large scale cultivation.

Achyranthes ; growth & development ; Culture Media ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; growth & development ; Plant Shoots ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Survival Analysis