Comparative Pharmacognostic Study of Clerodendrum phlomidis and Premna integrifolia

Abstract

Objective: A comparative study was designed to develop physico-chemical parameters for roots of Clerodendrum phlomidis and Premna integrifolia (Family: Verbenaceae), commonly known as Arni. Materials and Methods: Roots of C. phlomidis and P. integrifolia were studied for macro and microscopical characters. Clerodendrin-A, a chemical marker was isolated from the root of C. phlomidis. HPTLC method was developed to generate fingerprint profiles for the two roots and to quantify isolated clerodendrin-A (in C. phlomidis and P. integrifolia roots) using n-hexane: ethyl formate (7:3) as a mobile phase, precoated TLC plates (silica gel 60 F₂₅₄) as a stationary phase and H₂SO₄ as derivatizing agent. Results and Conclusion: Morphologically both roots resemble each other except for their color and size. Microscopically they can be differentiated by presence of rhytidoma in roots of P. integrifolia. Further, starch grains are found distributed in C. phlomidis, only in xylem parenchyma and xylem rays, where as in P. integrifolia all tissues except cork show starch. Clerodendrin-A isolated from C. phlomidis was also found to be present in P. integrifolia. Considering clerodendrin-A as a chemical marker, the present study was designed to develop HPTLC method for generation of distinct chemoprofile and quantification of clerodendrin-A in roots of C. phlomidis and P. integrifolia. HPTLC study of n-hexane fraction (diterpenoid rich) of the two roots performed using silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ as a stationary phase, n-hexane: ethyl formate (7:3) as a mobile phase and H₂SO₄ as derivatizing agent revealed presence of a clerodendrin-A, a major diterpenoid at R_f 0.26 (violet color). Clerodendrin- A concentration was found to be 0.073% w/w in C. phlomidis and 0.04% w/w in P. integrifolia