Qualitative and Quantitative Determination of Secondary Metabolites and Antioxidant Potential of Plumbago indica Root Extracts

Due to their well-known attribute of having minimal side effects as compared to medicines, natural items with medical potential are progressively gaining prominence in clinical research. The roots of Plumbago indica (P. indica, Plumbaginaceae) are commercially significant since they are the primary source of plumbagin and its derivatives. Plumbagin is well-known for its many pharmacological properties. P. indica roots yielded three naphthoquinones: plumbagin, 3, 30-biplumbagin, and elliptinone, which were employed as standard markers for quantitative HPLC analysis. The goal of this research was to screen phytochemicals, assess alkaloids, phenolic and flavonoid content, and measure the antioxidant potential of P. indica roots. The well-known test methodology was used to determine qualitative analysis of several phytochemical ingredients as well as quantitative analysis of total alkaloids, phenol, and flavonoids. The antioxidant activity of an ethanolic extract of P. indica roots was investigated in vitro using the 1,1-diphenyl, 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test technique. Alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, phenolics, proteins, and glucose were found in the ethanol and aqueous extracts, according to phytochemical study. P. indica roots ethanolic extract had 5.55, 0.930, and 3.940 mg of total phenolic, flavonoids, and alkaloids respectively. For comparative purposes, ascorbic acid was employed as a benchmark. In the investigated models, the extract showed dose-dependent free radical scavenging properties. For the DPPH technique, P. indica roots extract had an IC50 value of 23.02 µg/ml, which was equivalent to that of ascorbic acid (IC50=17.68 µg/ml). These researches contributed to the accurate identification of this plant material. The plant's broad variety of phytochemicals implies that it has medicinal potential, which might be investigated in the pharmaceutical sector as well as in traditional medicine.

Propagation, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Plumbago indica - A Review

Aims: Plumbago indica is a medicinal plant widely grown in the tropics and temperate region to use in traditional systems of medicine. Different parts of this plant are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, dysmenorrhea, cancer, leprosy, syphilis, rheumatism, paralysis, headache, leukoderma, enlarged glands, scabies, ophthalmia, dyspepsia, haemorrhage, piles, flatulence, loss of appetite etc. Various kinds of researches were carried out in different countries on propagation and pharmacology of this medicinal plant. Scientifically proven data were concentrated on this paper to facilitate reliable convenience data source and encourage further studies. Methodology: Scientific data published on full papers, abstracts about morphology, growth, propagation, traditional medicinal uses and pharmacology of P. indica over 70 years (1949-2020) by researchers in different countries were collected and categorized under suitable topics. Results: According to literature P. indica leaves, stems, roots contain phytochemical compound that are responsible for its medicinal properties. Tissue culture of this plant can be uses as effective propagation method to fulfill the increasing demand of raw materials (dried plant parts) for medicinal preparations as well as preserve the plant in their natural habitat. Value: P. indica is used to treat vast range of diseases in traditional medicinal systems in different countries and currently pharmacological experiments are conducting to prove it scientifically. Plumbagin present in P. indica roots was already identified as a potential anti-cancer agent and subjected to more research interest. Therefore this review article helps new researchers to get wide knowledge about the plant and its pharmacology.

Effects of in vitro plant ages on the subsequent growth of Plumbago indica l. after ex vitro transplantation

The Indian leadwort (Plumbago indica L.) of the family Plumbaginaceae is a plant with high pharmaceutical value, as it contains plumbagin, a naphthoquinone with antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer properties. Among the propagation methods for the Indian leadwort, in vitro propagation is considered an effective method in producing disease-free transplants in a short period of time with high propagation rate. When plants grown in vitro are transferred to ex vitro condition, the environmental factors in the nursery house such as light, temperature, humidity and microorganism in the soil will affect their growth. Characteristics of transplants themselves is also critical for the subsequent growth. It is, thus, essential to establish the standards to evaluate and qualify in vitro plants for transplanting to ex vitro condition. Among these standards, the culture age of in vitro plants affects the maturations of their root, stem and leaves, which can in turn influence the acclimating ability and growth of in vitro plants after transplantation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the culture age of in vitro Indian leadwort plants on their performance during ex vitro stage. For this purpose, three different culture ages of uniform in vitro plants, 35, 42 and 49 day-old, were studied. After 28 days of cultivation in the nursery house under the light intensity of 70 ± 10 µmol m-2 s-1, temperature of 35 ± 4 oC and relative humidity (RH) of 60 ± 10%, all three treatments achieved 100% survival rate. Increased fresh and dry weights and percentage of dry matter after cultivation in ex vitro condition were not statistically different between 42 day-old and 49 day-old in vitro plants, but were significantly different between these plants and 35 day-old in vitro plants. The development of shoot and root in ex vitro stage of 42 day-old and 49 day-old in vitro plants was more balanced, as shown by the higher ratio of shoot/root dry weight, than 35 day-old in vitro plants. The results of this study showed that for this Plumbago species, bigger in vitro plants led to better growth during ex vitro stage. These results also indicated that it was possible to transfer in vitro Plumbago plants to ex vitro condition after 5 weeks of in vitro culture stage.

Preliminary phytochemical screening and in vitro antibacterial activity of Plumbago indica (Laal chitrak) root extracts against drug-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Drug resistance is one of the problems affecting the world where drug-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae have been shown to be ubiquitous, frequently isolated from foods and commonly associated with surgical site infection in hospitals worldwide. The aims of this work were to analyze the antibacterial activity of root extracts of the plant obtained by serial extraction (using petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and water) and by in vitro techniques and preliminary screen phytochemicals present in the extract by qualitative means. Fresh roots of Plumbago indica were collected, oven-dried, and extracted using Soxhlet apparatus; antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of the active extract were evaluated by standard methods against clinically isolated drug-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae; preliminary phytochemical screening was taken to detect the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, reducing sugars, phenolics, protein, and oil and fat; and bioactive compounds were detected by GCMS analysis of the active extracts. Determination of antibacterial activity showed that the test organisms were susceptible to methanol and aqueous extracts only. MIC of methanolic extract was found to be 20 µg/mL on both E. coli and K. pneumoniae, while aqueous extract had MIC of 10 and 20 µg/mL on E. coli and K. pneumoniae, respectively. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of all the above-mentioned phytochemicals except oil and fat. The significance of this work is to find a lasting solution to the current problem of emerging drug-resistant bacteria (E. coli and K. pneumoniae) through the use of extracts obtained from P. indica which have long history of use as traditional medicine. The methanolic and aqueous extract can be recommended as an alternative and candidates for drug development against drug-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae.