In vitro propagation and phytochemical characterization of Barleria prionitis L

Abstract

Barleria prionitis L. used in numerous Ayurvedic formulations for the treatment of various ailments and in herbal toothpastes. In the present study, plants of B. prionitis L. were collected from Thane and Kolhapur regions and evaluated for phytochemical constituents at both quantitative and qualitative levels. Phenolic profiling of polyphenols was carried out for the first time by RP-HPLC method in B. prionitis L. Important active principles such as Shanzhiside Methyl Ester (SME) and Squalene were quantitatively analyzed across all the extracts by HPTLC for the first time in B. prionitis L. The results obtained from the two collections were different for most of the parameters. In vitro propagation of B. prionitis L. was carried out for its conservation and multiplication by axillary shoot bud proliferation and callus organogenesis. Several antibrowning agents like activated charcoal, coconut milk, silver nitrate, citric acid, PVP, ascorbic acid etc. were tested for optimization of tissue culture media. Effects of gelling agents and carbon sources were also analyzed on the growth of tissue cultures. The present study is the first report on in vitro propagation of B. prionitis L. through callus cultures. Comparative phytochemical characterization of leaf and stem-derived callus, and in vitro raised plantlets with the mother plant was also performed for the first time in B. prionitis L. Results indicated that tissue cultures were superior to mother plant. The secondary metabolite Squalene was isolated and purified for the first time from leaf-derived callus of B. prionitis L. by Flash chromatography, and confirmed by FTIR analysis. The isolated squalene was tested for anticancer activity. The present study demonstrates the potential of tissue cultures of B. prionitis L. as an important source of active principles and a methodology for micropropagation. newline