Box-Behnken supported development and validation of robust HPTLC method: an application in estimation of punarnavine in leaf, stem, and their callus of Boerhavia diffusa Linn.

Boerhavia diffusa (BD) Linn. (Nyctaginaceae) is one of the most commonly used herbs in the Indian traditional system of medicine for the urinary disorders. The aim of the current investigation was to carry out initiation, development, and maintenance of BD callus cultures and quantitative estimation of punarnavine in plant and callus extracts. Leaves and stem of BD were used as explant for the tissue culture studies using Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. MS Media comprising 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) (1 ppm) and 2,4-D (1 ppm) + Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (1.0 ppm) were found to yield friable callus from leaf explant; similarly, 2,4-D (0.3 ppm) + IAA (0.75 ppm) + Kinetin (0.3 ppm) and 2,4-D (0.5 ppm) + Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1.5 ppm) + Kinetin (0.3 ppm) were found to yield friable callus from the stem explant. High-performance thin-layer chromatography method was been developed for the quantitative estimation of punarnavine (R f = 0.73) using mobile phase containing toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid in the ratio (7.0:2.5:0.7, v/v/v) at 262 nm. The validated method was found linear (r 2 = 0.9971) in a wide range (100-1000 ng spot-1), precise, accurate, and robust. The values of limit of detection, LOD = 30.3 ng spot-1, and limit of quantification, LOQ = 100.0 ng spot-1. The robustness of the method was proved by applying the Box-Behnken design (BBD). The developed method found appropriate for the quality control of medicinal plants containing punarnavine as a constituent.

Optimization of methyl jasmonate and ß-cyclodextrin for enhanced production of taraxerol and taraxasterol in (Taraxacum officinale Weber) cultures.

CONTEXT: Taraxacum officinale Weber (TO) commonly known as "dandelion", is a tropical Asian medicinal plant which contains taraxasterol (TX) and taraxerol (TA) in its roots, which are reported to be commercially important anticancer compounds. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the increase in yield of TX and TA through elicitation by addition of abiotic elictors like methyl jasmonate (MJ) and ß-cyclodextrin (CD), to the root callus suspension cultures of TO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The root callus suspension was maintained on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium MS + IAA + BA + 2, 4-D (0.5 ppm + 1 ppm + 0.5 ppm). The concentrations of the abiotic elicitors MJ and CD were optimized using central composite design (CCD) and quantification of TA and TX in elicited cultures was done by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis. RESULT: It was observed that MJ at a concentration of 0.2 mM showed good increase in content of TX to 0.032% w/w and at concentrations 0.05 mM, 0.1 mM and 0.2 mM showed similar increase in TA content to 0.018% w/w, whereas CD at the concentration of 25 mM showed highest increase in TX content to 0.036% w/w and at the concentrations of 25 mM, 50 mM showed increase in TA content to 0.023% w/w as compared to the plant root (PR) which showed content of TX as 0.0299% w/w and TA as 0.0169% w/w. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: From the present investigation it was concluded that out of the two abiotic elicitors MJ and CD, CD was found to be more effective to increase TA and TX content in Dandelion cell cultures.

Occurrence of taraxerol and taraxasterol in medicinal plants.

Indian soil germinates thousands of medicinal drugs that are cultivated with a purpose to obtain a novel drug. As it is a well-established fact that the structural analogs with greater pharmacological activity and fewer side-effects may be generated by the molecular modification of the functional groups of such lead compounds. This review throws light on two natural triterpenes - Taraxerol and Taraxasterol which have many important pharmacological actions including anti-cancer activity, their chemistry, biosynthesis aspects, and possible use of these compounds as drugs in treatment of cancer. A silent crisis persists in cancer treatment in developing countries, and it is intensifying every year. Although at least 50-60% of cancer victims can benefit from radiotherapy that destroys cancerous tumors, but search for the paramount therapy which will prove to be inexpensive with minimal side effects still persists. Various treatment modalities have been prescribed, along with conventional and non-conventional medicine but due to their adverse effects and dissatisfaction among users, these treatments are not satisfactory enough to give relief to patients. Hence, this review sparks the occurrence of Taraxerol (VI) and Taraxasterol (VII) in nature, so that the natural godowns may be harvested to obtain these potent compounds for novel drug development as well as discusses limitations of these lead compounds progressing clinical trials.