Colchicine Content Research Articles

Identification of two kinds of Colchicum corms by DNA barcoding, physicochemical, chromatographic and chemometric analyses along with pharmacognostic parameters

Corms of “Suranjan” are widely used in traditional medicine for the management of rheumatism and various ailments. In traditional medicinal systems of India, Suranjan is divided into two categories, i.e. “Suranjan Talkh”, which is known as “Bitter Suranjan” and “Suranjan Shirin”, which is known as “Sweet Suranjan”. There is confusion between both species even though both have the same genus, i.e. Colchicum. In the present study, DNA barcoding, pharmacognostic parameters, chromatographic analysis (including HPTLC, HPLC, LC-MS and GC–MS) and a safety parameter and multivariant analysis was performed to identify the corms of both species. DNA barcoding-based results indicated that the bitter species is Colchicum luteum Baker whereas the sweet species is Colchicum autumnale L. Chemical profiling revealed that colchicine is a basic biomarker of both varieties. Moreover, based upon HPTLC and HPLC analyses, the major difference is that Colchicum autumnale L. contained caffeic acid along with colchicine. The phytochemicals observed in HPTLC and HPLC analyses was confirmed by LC-MS analysis. More interestingly, Colchicum autumnale L. had 27.34 % more colchicine as compared to Colchicum luteum Baker. As per organoleptic evaluation, Colchicum autumnale L. has a sweeter taste as compared to Colchicum luteum Baker. GC–MS analysis revealed that Colchicum autumnale L. had 90.87 % more melezitose as compared to Colchicum luteum Baker. Melezitose is a non-reducing trisaccharide sugar molecule and considered as a masking agent in the food industry and a replacement for sugar. Melezitose is the molecule that suppresses an unpleasant taste or sensation, i.e. organoleptic parameters. For the HPLC method-based sugar analysis, the observed sucrose content was 130.66 mg/mL in Colchicum autumnale L, whereas no sugar content was observed in Colchicum luteum Baker. Hence, Colchicum autumnaleL.is the sweet variety even in the presence of a high content of colchicine having low bitterness or sweetness due to the presence of Melezitose in a large content. Antioxidant studies (like TPC, TFC and DPPH assays) demonstrated that Colchicum autumnale L. has far better antioxidant activities than Colchicum luteum Baker. In conclusion, the present study may be a breakthrough for the authentication and identification of market samples of Colchicum autumnale L. and Colchicum luteum Baker. Newly established (as per ICH guidelines) HPTLC and HPLC based methods may help analysts to quantify caffeic acid along with colchicine content.

Endophytic Bacillus strains enhance biomass and bioactive metabolites of Gloriosa superba

Gloriosa superba L. is an economically important medicinal plant and variation in its colchicine content may be due to associated endo- and ectophytic beneficial microbes. Among them, endophytic bacteria contribute to enhancing plant growth, induce biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, and play a significant role in secondary metabolite synthesis. In the present study, 76 native endophytic bacteria were isolated from high and low-colchicine and gloriosine-containing chemotypes of G. superba rhizome and characterized for vegetative growth enhancement and abiotic stress mitigation. The screening has resulted in the selection of 23 plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacterial endophytes with abiotic stress tolerance. Most of these isolates belong to the Bacillus genera identification based on the 16S rRNA gene. Based on the significant enhancement in maize (Zea mays L.; as model host plant) under greenhouse conditions ten efficient bacterial strains were selected. Further, three endophytic bacterial strains, NBRI HYL5 and NBRI HYL8 (high colchicine and gloriosine containing chemotype), and NBRI LYN9 (low colchicine and gloriosine containing chemotype) were selected based on the survivability and enhanced 1-aminocyclopropane-1- carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, phosphate solubilization, biofilm, Indole acidic acid (IAA), exopolysaccharide, and alginate production abilities under different abiotic stress conditions. Finally, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of selected bacterial endophyte inoculation in G. superba for growth enhancement and secondary metabolite content. The results showed that plants treated with NBRI HYL5 and NBRI HYL8 significantly enhanced the colchicine content (97–98 %) and gloriosine content (70–73 %), respectively as compared with control. However, inoculation of NBRI LYN9 has demonstrated significant enhancement only in gloriosine content (79 %). In addition, NBRI HYL5 and NBRI HYL8 have demonstrated significant improvement in overall vegetative growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and total soluble sugar content. Colonization and persistence of selected endophytic bacteria in G. superba rhizome and shoot clearly depicted the involvement not only in enhancing the vegetative growth but also in enhancing the colchicine and gloriosine content. Overall, this study presents the beneficial role of endophytic Bacillus strains in enhancing the growth of G. superba and secondary metabolite content may lead to contribute in sustainable cultivation of economically important medicinal plants.

Variasi dan Analisis Fenetik Aksesi Kembang Sungsang (Gloriosa superba L.) di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Berdasarkan Karakter Morfologi dan Anatomi

Kembang sungsang (Gloriosa superba L.) is a member of Colchicaceae family and distributed in tropical areas such as India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. G. superba has a high colchicine content, so it is widely used as a traditional medicine and biomutagen. The diverse habitats of G. superba have potential to create variations. The aims of this study were to determine the morphological, anatomical variations, and phenetic relationship of G. superba in Yogyakarta. A sample of 12 accessions was taken from 4 regencies in Yogyakarta: Bantul, Sleman, Kulon Progo, and Gunungkidul. Morphological characterization are tubers, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Transversal section of leaves were prepared using paraffin embedding method to observe leaf structure and paradermal preparations to observe the leaf epidermis. The similarity index between OTUs is calculated using the Gower General Similarity Coefficient, clustering using UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Averages) algorithm to form a dendrogram with MVSP (Multivariate Statistical Package) software. The results showed that the morphological variations of G. superba in Yogyakarta were large in terms of stem height, branching, number of leaves, leaf arrangement, leaf size, tuber shape, and tuber diameter. Leaf arrangement of G. superba population have 3 types: opposite, alternate, and mixed. Anatomical variations were large in terms of adaxial epidermal thickness, lamina thickness, midrib thickness, transport bundle size, stomatal size, and stomatal density. Based on the phenetic analysis, morphological characters are grouped into two clusters, while anatomical character into four clusters without pattern.

Kembang sungsang (Gloriosa superba L.): A potential plant as a source of biomutagens

Gloriosa superba (Kembang Sungsang, local name) belongs to the monocotyledoneae class and the Liliaceae family. This plant is known as a medicinal plant and its pharmacological effects have been developed both traditional and modern. All parts of the Gloriosa superba, especially the tubers and seeds, contain alkaloids namely colchicine and gloriosine. The content of colchicine and colchicides in tubers and other parts of plants is about 0.1 - 0.9% and 0.8% respectively. Colchicine has a strong affinity for tubulin so it is often used in biological studies and plant breeding to induce mutations that produce polyploidy individuals. Colchicine as a mutagen is used to develop the superior properties of some plants. Polyploidi plants have several advantages including larger cells, higher plants, wider leaves, larger fruits, higher production, and plants becoming more resistant to disease. Considering the role of colchicine above, the prospect of Gloriosa superba as a source of biomutagens (natural colchicine) needs to be studied and further developed.

Effects of different boiling processes on chemical compositions of Lilii Bulbus soup.

Lilii Bulbus, an edible Chinese herbal medicine, has a long history in medicine. However, research on effectively boiling Lilii Bulbus is rare. To make the more nutritious Lilii Bulbus soup, the optimized boiling process, using an alternate heating mode by decoction pot carrying a mixture of water and Chinese liquor at the ration of 9:1, was established in this study. Compared to the soup prepared by the daily process, the polysaccharide amount improved by 54%, and the total heavy metals decreased by 33.5% using the optimized boiling process. In addition, the total saponins at 34.3 μg/g were determined in the soup prepared by the optimized process. Meanwhile, the colchicine content in the boiled Lilii Bulbus soup was undetectable using the optimized process. This research performs an optimized boiling process for making Lilii Bulbus soup, and provides a reference for generating high commercial value from Lilii Bulbus soup in the future.

COMPARATIVE QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF COLCHICINE IN CORMS OF DIFFERENT COLCHICINE BEARING PLANTS USING HPLC AND HPTLC METHOD

Colchicine is an alkaloid which has been reported to possess anti-gout, anti-rheumatic, antiparasitic and anticancer potential. It is a toxic natural product obtained from plants of the genus Colchicum (C. autumnale and C. luteum), Gloriosa superba, and Iphigenia indica. In the present study, three different methods (percolation, sonication, and Soxhlation) of the extraction for colchicine from three different plants (C. luteum, G.superba, and I. indica) have been studied.The concentration of colchicine in different prepared extracts was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methods. The developed and optimized chromatographic method was validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines for linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, recovery and robustness. The developed methods (HPLC and HPTLC) were applied for the comparative quantitative estimation of colchicine in three different plant extracts. Both the methods were found to be simple, selective and accurate with a wide range of linearity, hence useful for the quantification of colchicine content in different formulations containing colchicine-bearing plant extracts. Due to its toxic nature, the quantification of colchicine will play an important role in quality control of several herbal and unani formulations containing colchicine-bearing plant extracts. The present studies clearly indicate that both G. superba and C. luteum contain about 0.2 %w/w of colchicine.

Death due to kodalikkizhangu poisoning: A case report

Deaths due to accidental ingestion, suicidal consumption and homicide poisoning with colchicine alkaloid containing extracts have been documented and reported in innumerable literature across the world. The lowest reported lethal dose of oral colchicine are 7-26 mg. Gloriosa superba, regionally known as Kodalikkizhangu is a highly poisonous flowering plant, seen wide spread in south and south East Asia. Colchicine is concentrated in the seeds and tubers of the plant. Colchicine content of Gloriosa tuber is 0.3%. These tubers are often mistaken as yams and accidentally ingested. Ingestion of tubers of Gloriosa results in colchicine poisoning. Toxicity of Gloriosa is due to the anti-mitotic effect of its toxic principle namely colchicine and Gloriosin on the rapidly proliferating cells such as stomach and oesophagus. Cardiac manifestation of Gloriosa poisoning is due to the impaired cardio myocyte conduction and contractility. Deaths in these cases are due to multi-organ failure. No specific antidote is available. A 71-year-old male who was a chronic alcoholic and known hypertensive got admitted in toxicology ward, with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, 11 hours after alleged consumption of tubers of a wild plant. 24 hours after ingestion the patient succumbed to death and post-mortem was done to establish cause of death.

Diversity assessment of Gloriosa superba accessions from Western Ghats of India based on morphological traits, ISSR markers and metabolite content

Gloriosa superba L. (glory lily) is a medicinally and horticulturally important plant used as a commercial source of the alkaloid colchicine. The Western Ghats in India is mostly unexplored for the morphological, genetic, and metabolite diversity of the species. In the current study, three methodologies were employed to assess the diversity among 50 established accessions of G. superba collected from several locations in the Western Ghats. The morphological analysis revealed that, among the studied traits, seed yield per vine and dry seed weight per 100 seeds for the established accessions were the most diverse traits. The former exhibited a significantly positive correlation with four vegetative and five yield traits. The first three principal components showed nine traits contributing to the variation. Intra-specific molecular variation based on inter simple sequence repeat markers distributed the accessions in three clusters with high polymorphism and low genetic diversity indices. Liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis revealed significant variation among the screened accessions for colchicine content in tuber and seed tissue. Interestingly, an unexplored tissue, pod shell, was found to contain significantly high colchicine, which could be explored for commercial colchicine extraction. The morphogenetic and metabolite variation revealed by the study would be useful to develop elite varieties to expand the cultivation of glory lily across the country, fulfilling the increasing demand for colchicine and providing remunerative income to the farmers.

Antifungal potential of Colchicum luteum and determination of colchicine content using HPLC for application as a fungicide

Colchicum luteum L. is an economically important medicinal plant species of the North Western Himalaya. The corm extract of this plant is utilized in the treatment of many diseases. It is also used extensively in plant breeding program for the doubling of chromosomes. The antifungal activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the corm of the medicinal plant Colchicum luteum were investigated in this study. These extracts were tested against the fungi, Colletotrichum sp. and Fusarium oxysporum. The ethanolic extract of corm (100 mg mL−1) inhibited Colletotrichum sp. and F. oxysporum with inhibition zones of 19.2 mm and 18.3 mm, respectively, whereas the aqueous extract of corm (100 mg mL−1) inhibited Colletotrichum sp. and F. oxysporum with inhibition zones of 17.1 mm and 15.2 mm, respectively. Colchicine was isolated from several plant components (corms, seeds, leaves, and flowers) and its concentration was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The corm had the highest percentage of colchicine (0.191% ± 0.036) of all the plant parts examined, followed by the seeds (0.103% ± 0.021). As a result, it can be said that the corms and seeds of C. luteum could serve as a natural source of colchicine for the pharmaceutical industry.

Comparison of Colchicine Content in Gloriosa superba L., Root after Pretreatment by Thai Traditional Medicine Methods

Comparison of Colchicine Content in Gloriosa superba L., Root after Pretreatment by Thai Traditional Medicine Methods

Screening the elite chemotypes of Gloriosa superba L. in India for the production of anticancer colchicine: simultaneous microwave-assisted extraction and HPTLC studies

BackgroundGloriosa superba L. (Colchicaceae) is a high-value medicinal plant indigenous to Africa and Southeast Asia. Its therapeutic benefits are well-established in traditional medicines including Ayurveda. It is well known for its natural bioactive compound colchicine which exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities i.e. rheumatism, gout and was also introduced into clinical practices. The increasing demand as well as its illegal harvesting has brought this valuable plant under threatened category.MethodsThe present investigation describes a microwave assisted extraction (MAE) strategy coupled with a densitometric-high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methodology for the analysis of colchicine from 32 different populations of G. superba. A Box-Behnken statistical design (3 level factor) has been employed to optimize MAE, in which power of microwave, time of irradiation, aqueous ethanol and pH were used as independent variables whereas colchicine was used as the dependent variables. Chromatography was carried out on Silica gel 60 F254 TLC plates with toluene: methanol, 85:15 (v/v) being used as solvent system. Densitometric measurement was performed at λ=254 nm following post-derivatization (10% methanolic sulphuric acid).ResultsOptimal conditions for extraction to obtain the maximum colchicine yield was found to be 7.51 mg g− 1 which was very close to be predicted response 7.48 mg g− 1 by maintaining microwave power (460 W), irradiation time (6.4 min), aqueous ethanol-30, pH -3. Colchicine content ranged between 2.12–7.58 mg g− 1 among 32 G. superba populations in which only three chemotypes viz. GS- 1, GS- 3, and GS- 2 collected from West Bengal and Sikkim, respectively exhibited maximum yield of colchicine.ConclusionTherefore, this newly developed optimized MAE coupled with HPTLC densitometry methodology not only quantifies colchicine in order to identify elite chemotypes of G. superba, but it also encourages in selecting high yielding populations of the plants for industrial use and economic boost for the farmers. This validated, simple and reproducible HPTLC protocol is being used for the first time to estimate colchicine from natural populations of G. superba obtained from 32 different geographical regions of India.Graphical abstract

Chemodiversity and molecular variability in the natural populations (India) of Gloriosa superba (L.) and correlation with eco- geographical factors for the identification of elite chemotype(s)

Gloriosa superba L. has economic significance due to colchicine, a bioactive compound used for gout. In present study metabolic and molecular variability in natural population of species was analyzed and correlated with edaphic and climatic factors. Thirty populations (wild) of G. superba were mapped from 10 different eco-regions of India at an elevation range of 10–1526 m, having no morphotypic variations. The two known biologically active alkaloids colchicine (ranged from 0.015–0.516%) and gloriosine (0.19–0.44%) were significantly varied (p < 0.05) among populations, leading to the identification of four elite chemotypes. Molecular variability from ISSR data divides the population in different sub clusters at intra-specific level, presenting the high similarity percentage with bootstrap value of 66–100%. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that elite chemotypes are related to temperature, precipitation and aridity gradient. The rhizospheric soil selenium was significantly correlated with colchicine content in G. superba.

Simultaneous Quantification of Pharmacologically Active Alkaloid Metabolites Colchicine and Gloriosine in Gloriosa Superba L. collected from Western Ghats (India) and Adjoining Areas for the Identification of Elite Chemotype(s).

Gloriosa superba is a valuable Ayurvedic medicinal plant and is in high demand in the world market for its colchicine content, which is used to treat gout. The study aims (1) to record the metabolic variations in major bioactive metabolites, colchicine and gloriosine, in the natural populations of G. superba from Western Ghats and adjoining areas in India and (2) to develop HPTLC protocol for the identification of elite chemotypes of species and regulation of quality raw material, extract, and finished material. Simultaneous quantification of colchicine and gloriosine in 22 natural populations through validated HPTLC as per ICH guidelines. Colchicine and gloriosine were identified at Rf 0.51 ± 0.03 and 0.41 ± 0.05 and the content varied from 0.021 to 0.86% and 0.003 to 0.198%. The method was found linear at a concentration range of 0.1-0.7 µg/spot, and LOD (3.3 σ/S) and LOQ (10 σ/S) was 0.71 and 2.16 µg/spot. The method was precise in the concentration range of 100-300 ng/spot, with 98.29% and 101.12% recovery (% RSD) for colchicine and gloriosine. Subsequently, four elite chemotypes were identified based on cluster analysis of metabolite content. The developed HPTLC method is linear, accurate, precise, and robust for simultaneous quantification of colchicine and gloriosine metabolite(s). Intraspecific metabolic variation was significant among the collected population, leading to the identification of four elite chemotypes. Colchicine is an industrially viable metabolite and is therefore quintessential to the development of an economical and analytical method to regulate the quality of raw material, extract, and finished products.

Gloriosa superba L: A critical Review of Recent Advances

Gloriosa superba is a flowering plant belongs to Colchicaceae. It refers to full of glory', and the superba refers ‘superb’ referring to the outstanding red and yellow flowers. G. superba is a highly toxic plant, due to the presence of an alkaloid, ‘Colchicine’. Adequate ingestion of this alkaloid could cause fatalities to humans and animals. Despite its toxicity, G. superba considered as a medicinal plant because of its medicinal constituents and properties such as colchicine, gloriosine, pungent, bitter, acrid, heating, anthelmintic, laxative, alexiteric, and abortifacient. G. superba utilized for the treatment of snakebite, scorpion stings, parasitic skin disease, urological pains, colic, chronic ulcers, piles, gonorrhoea, gout, infertility, wounds, arthritis, cholera, kidney problems, itching, leprosy, cancer, sexually transmitted disease, and countless other diseases. This plant listed under the threatened category due to its indiscreet reaping from the wild as medicinal industries widely use it for its colchicine content. Field study and secondary sources were used to abridge the information on the recent advancement study of G. superba. In the present review, the information regarding the occurrence, botanical description, propagation, medicinal application pharmacological, ethnomedicinal, biological, and toxicological studies of G. superba and its recent advancement has been summarized. The detailed study of G. superba with current trends helps the researcher to focus on the future development needed for its conservation.

Chromatographic Fingerprinting and Quantitative Analysis of Marker in the Extract of Gloriosa superba Tubers Collected from Some Region of Chhattisgarh

Background: Gloriosa superba (Family: Liliaceae) is commonly known as Kalihari in India and has been used by several indigenous communities to treat a snake bite, skin diseases and joint pain. It has been also scientifically reported for many pharmacological activities such as hypoglycaemic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, anti-inflammatory. Present work is an effort to develop validated HPTLC method for the detection and quantification of chief constituent in the tuber extract of Gloriosa superba. Methods: HPTLC analysis of tuber extract has been performed on Silica gel 60 F254 (10 cm×10 cm) plates with mobile phase consisting toluene, ethyl acetate and diethylamine (02:08:02, v/v/v). Densitometric scanning of the plate was performed at 371nm by using CAMAG TLC scanner III equipped with visionCATS version 2.4.17207.2 (CAMAG) and developed method was also validated for accuracy, precision and robustness as per ICH guidelines. Results: present work has confirmed the rich content of colchicine in tuber extract of Gloriosa superba. The calibration curve was linear in the selected range of 0.4-1.2 μg/spot and regression equation found to be y = 0.0285x + 0.0074. the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.9978 for the regression equation. The LOQ and LOD was 0.170 μg /spot and 0.056 μg /spot respectively. The average recovery of colchicine at three levels was 99.5, 98.6 and 99.6 %, which indicated the remarkable reproducibility of the method. Conclusion: findings revealed that the developed method is simple, precise, and accurate for quantitative analysis of Gloriosa superba; and it might be useful for quality control of herbal medicine.

Simultaneous HPTLC-UV quantification of colchicine and gloriosine alkaloids in the natural population of Gloriosa superba L., collected from Eastern Ghats of India for the identification of elite chemotypes

Intra-specific chemical variability in the natural population of Gloriosa superba from Eastern Ghats (India) was recorded through validated HPTLC method and in vitro antiarthritic activity of elite chemotypes was evaluated. In total, 36 population(s) of G. superba were mapped and, collected from the phytogeography and densitometric quantification through validated HPTLC-UV method revealed a significant (p > 0.05) difference in the metabolite content of germplasm(s). Colchicine and gloriosine content varied from 0.005 to 0.275% and 0.003 to 0.119%, maximum was recorded in NBG-34 (Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh) and NBG-70 (Panchgani hill, Maharashtra) respectively. On cluster analysis, six chemotypes were selected for in vitro antiarthritic activity, although activity was not significantly different. The elite chemotype with highest metabolite(s) content did not exhibit the highest biological activity and thus suggests the synergistic action of extract toward the pharmacological activity. The study promotes the use of G. superba in herbal formulation development as an adjuvant therapy in gouty arthritis and will aid in site-specific exploration of elite chemotype(s) with validated pharmacological action to meet out the medicinal and commercial demands.

Validasi Metode Spektrofotometri UV Untuk Penetapan Kadar Kolkisin Dalam Infus Kembang Sungsang

Validation of colchicine analysis methods in herbal infusions has been carried out to facilitate quality control of raw materials or simplicia. The validation parameters of the method set include selectivity, linearity, precision, and accuracy, which are included in category I. In this study, the raw material was prepared from the leaves of Gloriosa superba Linn. infusion made. The results of the selectivity test with colchicine as a standard provide uptake at a chosen wavelength of 340.2 nm. Linearity test results show the equation y = 0.0303x + 0.0131 with r = 0.9998> r Table for n = 6, ie 0.917 for p <0.01 and 0.811 for p = <0.05, the value of Vxo is 1 15%. In the precision test, the coefficient of variation is 0.54% and the accuracy test gives an average recovery of 92.81% ± 4.16%. Determination of colchicine in the infusion preparation was carried out as many as three replications. The results showed that the content of colchicine in raw materials was 0.3152% ± 1.99%, while the colchicine content in herbal infusion preparations was 0.483 ± 4.47%.

HPLC profiling conclusively distinguished two important Unani drugs, namely, Suranjan Shirin (Colchicum autumnale) and Suranjan Talkh (Colchicum luteum)

Suranjan (colchicum) is one of the prime drugs used for arthritis in Unani System of Medicine. Two varieties of the drug are available in the market under the name of Suranjan; one is Suranjan Shirin ( Colchicum autumnale ) and the other is Suranjan Talkh ( Colchicum luteum) . The two varieties are often confused with each other due to morphological resemblance. So there is a need to set a distinction between these two varieties of Suranjan. For this purpose the marker compound (Total Alkaloid Content) were estimated quantitatively and the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was conducted on both the drugs. 3 g of the powdered drug was extracted in petroleum ether and dissolved in 6 mL of 75% ethanol to yield test sample. Methanol at a flow rate of 1 mL/min was used as a standard. The peaks eluted were detected at 254 nm and compared with the authentic standard at 3.2 min of retention time. The colchicine concentration was found to be higher in Suranjan Talkh (0.21%) as compared to the Suranjan Shirin (0.15%). Therefore the present study offers a phytochemical concentration criterion, namely, colchicine content to distinguish between Suranjan Shirin ( Colchicum autumnale ) and Suranjan Talkh ( Colchicum luteum ).

Chemotaxonomic studies on natural population of Gloriosa superba (L.) collected from Gangetic plain (India) and their invitro antigout activity for the identification of elite germplasm(s).

Gloriosa superba L. (Colchicaceae) is used in the treatment of gout and rheumatism as a traditional medicine dates back to 1810. It has also been used as ethnobotanical and folklore medicine to induce abortion/vaginal poison. The present study was carried out to identify the chemical variation existing in the major alkaloid metabolite (colchicine) in a threatened species, Gloriosa superba L. and is correlated with invitro antigout activity. The samples (tuber) were collected from their natural locations in Gangetic plain of India. HPLC-PDA quantification of colchicine was done on C18 column at 245nm and invitro antigout activity was analyzed by inhibition of protein denaturation, DPPH and Hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. The colchicine content within the 29samples ranges from 0.021 to 0.665% and the maximum contents was in NBG-10 from Kanth (U.P). Such high colchicine (0.665%) containing natural population of G. superba is reported for the first time in Indian population. Four chemotypes viz. NBG-10, NBG-120, NBG-126 and NBG-88 were selected on the basis of colchicine content for invitro antigout activity. NBG-10 was separated from rest of the population exhibiting the most promising activity with high colchicine content. The outcomes will be helpful in the identification of elite chemotype for herbal product development and quality check of metabolites in raw material. The study will also support the site-specific commercial cultivation to meet out the industrial demand as well as income generation to farmers.

Variability in alkaloid and phenolic content vis-a-vis antigout potential among the natural population of Gloriosa superba (L.) collected from Central India

The variation in alkaloid metabolites (colchicine and gloriosine) was found significant in the nine germplasms of G. superba (L.), collected from Central India. The maximum content of colchicine and gloriosine was in NBG-15 (Chitrakoot, M.P) and NBG-13 (Bheraghat, M.P). The phenolic acids viz. quercetin and kaempferol was first ever quantified in G. superba tuber. Cluster analysis on chemical variability (colchicine and gloriosine content) results in the identification of three elite germplasm(s). The radical scavenging potential was also found promising in the selected elite germplasm viz. NBG-13, NBG-14 and NBG-15. Further, the protein denaturation potential of elite chemotypes was found at par with standard colchicine. The study will aid in site specific exploration of high metabolite yielding chemotype(s) with validated pharmacological action to meet out the industrial demands. This will also promotes the commercial cultivation of species for socio economical upliftment in the area having similar phyto geographical conditions.