PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF STEM OF COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF STEM OF COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS  

S. Manimegalai* and G. Rakkimuthu

Department of Chemistry, Arulmigu Palaniandavar college of Arts & Culture, Palani, Tamil Nadu, India

ABSTRACT

Couroupita  guianensis (Lecythidaceae) , is a medicinal  plant  which  is endowed  with  curative  properties  including  anti-  fungal, anti - biotic,  anti - septic, analgesic,  anti-malaria, stomach – ache, tooth - ache, scabies, gastritis, bleeding piles, dysentry and scorpion poison. The study deals with the preliminary phytochemical screening of the stem of Couroupita guianensis with various extracts such as petroleum ether, benzene, ethanol and water. This includes the powder characteristics studies, fluorescence   studies and thin layer chromotgraphic studies of the stem powder. The  qualitative  analysis  of  some secondary metabolites,  to  ascertain  medicinal  claims of this  widely used  medicinal plant. The results showed that the moderate presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, amino acids, phenols and triterpenoids.

Couroupita  guianensis,  Phytochemical screening, TLC,  Herbal medicines

INTRODUCTION: Couroupita guianensis (Lecythidaceae), whose common name include ‘ayahuma’ and the ‘cannonball tree^’, is an evergreen tree allied to the Brazil nut (Bertholletia exelsa). In India, it has been growing for the past three thousand years at least; hence it is possible that it is native to India also. The “cannonball tree” is so called because of its brown cannonball – like fruits. It grows upto 25m (82 ft) in height. Its flowers are orange, scarlet and pink in color, and form large bunches measuring upto 3m in length. They produce large spherical and woody fruits ranging from 15 to 24cm in diameter containing upto 200 or 300 seeds a piece.

The main aim of the present investigation  was  the  preliminary  phytochemical   screening    of the  stem  of  Couroupita guianensis  with various  extracts  such  as petroleum ether,  benzene, ethanol  and  water.  This includes the powder characteristics studies, fluorescence studies and thin layer chromatographic studies of the stem powder.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The experimental procedures employed in the present study to analyze the stem of Couroupita guianensis are as follows.

Collection of Plant Material: The stem of Couroupita guianensis were collected from a single tree at Thiruavinankudi temple in Palani, Tamil Nadu, South India.

Preparation of Extract: Fresh stem was washed thoroughly under running tap water and shade dried. Dried stems were homogenized to a fine powder and stored in airtight bottles. Powder characteristics analysis was done. 10gm of stem powders was extracted with 100ml of solvents (petroleum ether, benzene, ethanol and water) for 24 hours by using Soxhlet apparatus. Extracts were used for different tests.

1. Powder characteristics of stem of Couroupita guianensis: The powder characteristics such as color, odor, taste and texture of stem of Couroupita guianensis were observed. The observation was given in table 1. The fluorescence analysis of the powdered drug in day light, short UV, and long UV were evaluated by reported methods. The observations are given in table 2.
2. Fluorescence analysis of different extracts of stem of Couroupita guianensis: Consistency, color and fluorescence analysis of different extracts (petroleum ether, benzene, ethanol and water) of Couroupita guianensis is given in table 3.
3. Qualitative phytochemical screening of different extracts of stem of Couroupita guianensis: Qualitative phytochemical screening of plant was done following the standard procedures adapted by the various workers ^{1, 2}. The result are tabulated in table 4.
4. TLC analysis of stem powder of Couroupita guianensis: Screening of phytochemical components such as alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids and saponins was done by employing thin layer chromatography by different methods ^{3, 4}. The results of TLC in secondary metabolites screening of stem powder of Couroupita guianensis are given in table 5.

RESULTS: 

TABLE 1: POWDER CHARACTERISTICS OF STEM

TABLE 2: FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS OF POWDERED STEM OF COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS

TABLE 3:  CONSISTENCY, COLOR, AND FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTS OF COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS STEM

TABLE 4: PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SUCCESSIVE EXTRACTS OF STEM OF COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS

Note; ++: moderate presence; +: weak presence; -: absent

TABLE 5: QUALITATIVE SECONDARY METABOLITE SCREENING BY TLC ANALYSIS

DISCUSSION: The medicinal plants used in traditional medicine have led to the discovery of many new drugs and hundreds of pharmacologically active   substances.  The present investigation has stated  the  standardized  parameters of  powder characteristics ,fluorescence studies,   phytochemical profiles  and  TLC analysis of  Couroupita  guianensis  stem and it would be of immense help in authenticating.

Phytochemical screening of the different extracts (petroleum ether, benzene, ethanol, and water) of Couroupita guianensis stem used in this study revealed that the extracts contained the moderate presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, amino acids, phenols and triterpenoids. Couroupita guianensis showed a broad spectrum of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal activities. The leaves of Couroupita guianensis possess the herbal hand wash formulation ⁶ and yielded an aliphatic triterpene, it is used as an anti-depressant activity, using in rats ⁷. The leaves and flowers of Couroupita guianensis showed significant anti-oxidant activity ⁸.

Analysis of Thin Layer Chromatography: Alkaloids are low – molecular weight, nitrogen containing compounds that are found      in approximately 20% of the plant species and high biological activities. The TLC plate detected with the alkaloid- specific Dragendroff’s spraying reagent, showed a two bands with the Rf value of 0.97. Over the last few years, several experimental studies have revealed that biological and pharmacological properties of phenolics compounds, especially their antimicrobial activity ⁹, antiviral, anti -inflammatory and cytotoxic activity ¹⁰. Phenolics are active in curing kidney and stomach problem as well as helpful as anti-inflammatory in action ¹¹.   The presence of phenolics in TLC plate showed three bands with the R_f value of 0.98.

Flavonoids showed that the TLC plate with the R_f value of 0.88 and three bands respectively. The biological function of flavonoids, apart from their antioxidant properties, include protection against allergies, inflammation, platelet aggregation, microbes, ulcers,  heptatotoxins, viruses and tumors.   Recent studies at Toronto, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Canada, have indicated that, dietary source of  saponins  offer preferential chemical preventive strategy in lowering the risk of human cancer .The results for the presence of  saponins   were  found  to  be    the  R_f  value of 0.34  and   two  bands  in  TLC  plate.

CONCLUSION: Plants are the basic source of knowledge of modern medicine. Almost all the parts of the plant, namely leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, roots, stem and seeds are known to have various medicinal properties. The trend of using natural products has increased and the active plant extracts are frequently screened for new drug discoveries. The  present  investigation   reported , this  plant  is  warehouse  of   chemo-diversity  which  will  be  useful  in  screening  for  medicines .

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    How to cite this article:

    Manimegalai s and Rakkimuthu g: Phytochemical Screening of Stem of Couroupita guianensis. Int J Pharm Sci Res. 3(11); 4434-4437.

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