Mallotus Philippensis Research Articles

Thin-layer chromatographic determination of alpha-amyrin in the bark ofMallotus philippensislamk

A simple, precise, and accurate high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method has been established for determination of alpha-amyrin in a methanol extract of powdered bark from Mallotus philippensis . The amount of alpha-amyrin in the powder was 0.2 mg per 2 g dry weight. Separation was performed on silica gel 60 F 254 TLC plates with dichloromethane-toluene, 9.5:0.5 ( v/v ), as mobile phase. Detection and quantification were performed by densitometry at 586 nm. The response to alpha-amyrin was a linear function of concentration over the range 10 to 40 μg mL −1 . The sensitivity, accuracy, precision, and reproducibility of the TLC system were evaluated quantitatively.

Novel, Complex Flavonoids from Mallotus philippensis (Kamala Tree)

AbstractOne new flavanone, 4′‐hydroxyisorottlerin (2), and two new chalcone derivatives, kamalachalcones C (3) and D (4), were isolated from Mallotus philippensis (kamala tree). The largest compound (4; Mr 1098 g/mol) was shown to possess a unique, fused‐ring system made of two hydroxy‐chalcone units, giving rise to eight fused benzene/pyran units. From the same plant, the following six known compounds were also isolated: kamalachalcone A (5) and B (6), isoallorottlerin (7), isorottlerin (8), 5,7‐dihydroxy‐8‐methyl‐6‐prenylflavanone (9); 6,6‐dimethylpyrano(2″,3″: 7,6)‐5‐hydroxy‐8‐methylflavanone (10), and rottlerin (1). The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by in‐depth spectral analyses, including 2D‐NMR techniques, and the full 13C‐NMR assignments of the known flavanones 1 and 7–10 are published for the first time.

Anti-allergic agents from natural sources (4): anti-allergic activity of new phloroglucinol derivatives from Mallotus philippensis (Euphorbiaceae).

Two new phloroglucinol derivatives, mallotophilippen A (1). and B (2). were isolated from the fruits of Mallotus philippensis. These compounds were identified, using chemical and spectral data, as 1-[5,7-dihydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-6-(2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-isobutyryl-5-methyl-benzyl)-2H-chromen-8-yl]-2-methyl-butan-1-one and 1-[6-(3-Acetyl-2,4,6-trihydroxy-5-methyl-benzyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromen-8-yl]-2-methyl-butan-1-one, respectively. They inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) gene expression by a murine macrophage-like cell line (RAW 264.7), which was activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and recombinant mouse interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Furthermore, they inhibited histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by Compound 48/80. These results suggest that the novel phloroglucinol derivatives have anti-inflammatory effects.

Assessment of fuel resource diversity and utilization patterns in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in Kumaun Himalaya, India, for conservation and management

A general decrease in abundance of wild plant species used as sources of fuel suggests that more detailed information is urgently needed on species-level trends and their conservation. Such studies have not been carried out so far in India and elsewhere; we therefore quantified the species-wise extraction of fuel from a site (Gori Ganga Valley) in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kumaun Himalaya. In all, 31 species (26 trees and 5 shrubs) were used as fuel, of which 14 were native to the Himalaya. Utilization patterns, distributions, probabilities of use (PU), resource use indices (RUI), preferences and availabilities in forest communities of these species were determined. Use pattern did not vary much amongst low altitude villages (Similarity: 52–74%), whereas along the vertical (elevational) gradient it varied considerably (Similarity: 15–31%). Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz, Pinus roxburghii Sarg., Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus, Macaranga pustulata King ex Hk. f., Quercus lanuginosa Don, Engelhardtia spicata Bl. and Mallotus philippensis (Lamk.) Muell. contributed most to collections, while Pyracantha crenulata (Don) Roem., Syzygium cuminii (L.) Skeels, Alnus nepalensis Don and Bauhinia vahlii Wt. & Arn. were in lesser demand. W. fruticosa, P. roxburghii, M. pustulata, Casearia elliptica Willd., E. spicata, M. philippensis, Q. leucotrichophora and Phoebe lanceolata (Nees) Nees showed high values of PU and RUI, indicating high pressure. High density of P. roxburghii, Rhododendron arboreum Sm., Q. lanuginosa, Q. leucotrichophora, Lyonia ovalifolia (Wall.) Drude, C. elliptica and M. pustulata amongst trees and Maesa indica A.DC., P. crenulata and W. fruticosa amongst shrubs exhibited high density but the remaining species showed low density indicating their possible depletion. Intensive management of natural habitats of species highly-preferred for fuel, diversification of choice of species from natives to non-natives, large scale propagation of highly preferred taxa and plantation of seedlings in the degraded, uncultivated and marginal lands through peoples’ participation should promote conservation and management of fuel resources.

Dimeric chalcone derivatives from Mallotus philippensis

Two new chalcone derivatives with a unique ring system caused by dimerization between a dimethylchromene ring and a phenoxyl group, were isolated from kamala ( Mallotus philippensis). The structures were determined by spectral analysis.

Analysis of woody vegetation of Corbett National Park, India

The paper presents a detailed analysis of woody forest vegetation of Corbett National Park, at the foothills of Garhwal and Kumaun Himalaya. Twenty nine stands of tropical forest vegetation were studied. The vegetation consists of nine community types. Tree density was higher in Shorea robusta dominated communities and lowest in the Anogeissus latifolia-Acacia catechu community. Total tree basal cover was maximum in Shorea robusta dominated communities. Sapling and seedling regeneration was poor in Shorea robusta communities. Mallotus philippensis, Syzygium cumini and Diospyros tomentosa showed good regeneration both in sapling and seedling layers across the communities. Sapling and seedling species diversities showed negative relation with total tree basal cover. Most of the dominant tree species exhibited significant positive relationship between tree height and circumference at breast height in all the communities.

On the Neighbourhood Relationships of Two Common Understorey Trees of a Shorea robusta Community

The two common understorey tree species, Mallotus philippensis and Holarrhena antidysenterica of a Shorea-dominated forest showed significant differences in their near neighbours. The spatial pattern of the understorey community has been discussed in relation to the form and growth features of co-occurring species. The observations suggest that in a common physical environment, the local organization of a community is conditioned by mutual architectural adjustment of neighbouring species. Species which are ubiquitous in the community generally show plastic architecture.

Patterns of Nutrient Immobilization and Release in Decomposing Forest Litter in Central Himalaya, India

(1) Decomposition of leaf litter from ten woody species was studied using litter bags incubated for a two-year period in five forest ecosystems in Central Himalaya. In addition, Quercus leucotrichophora leaf litter was placed in each forest site to provide uniform substrate quality. (2) The annual weight loss ranged from 47% to 100% among species. Differences between sites and species were significant. (3) Most of the species exhibited two phases in their nutrient dynamics, a net immobilization phase followed by a net release phase. Net immobilization of N and P occurred in all litter species except Mallotus philippensis, Lyonia ovalifolia and Quercus leucotrichophora, while Ca and K exhibited only a release phase except in Pinus roxburghii and Myrica esculenta, where net immobilization of Ca occurred for a short period. The periods of net immobilization of various nutrients overlapped to a considerable extent. (4) Material with higher initial C: nutrient ratios had a longer duration of immobilization and, in turn, a slower release phase. Linear regression analyses between concentrations of pairs of nutrients during decomposition indicated positive relationships between N and P and between K and Ca, and negative relationships between combinations of N or P and Ca or K. (5) The critical C:N ratio (at which net release of N occurred), varied from 15:1 to 55:1. The species having higher N contents (1.20-3.04%) had higher weight loss rates and species having low N contents (0.85-1.01%) exhibited lower rates. (6) Species having more than 17% initial lignin accumulated more N whereas species with a lower (<17%) lignin content showed little or no accumulation of N. (7) Mean annual temperature, altitude and lignin content were the principal regulating factors for weight loss and nutrient mineralization.

Patterns of Ant and Herbivore Activity on Five Understory Euphorbiaceous Saplings in Submontane Papua New Guinea

We present the results of a study of the ant and herbivore faunas found on the leaves of five species of euphorbiaceous saplings (Macaranga aleuritoides, M. punctata, M. quadriglandulosa, Mallotus philippensis, and Homalanthus novo-guineensis) during the wet season in a submontane tropical rain forest in Papua New Guinea. All of these species have foliar extrafloral nectaries. The abundance, density, and composition of the ant and herbivore communities differed among the tree species; ant densities per unit leaf area varied by a factor of ca 20; and herbivore densities varied by a factor of ca 3. The leaves of these species were visited by 6 to 13 species of ants. Ants were experimentally excluded from branches or small saplings of three tree species: Macaranga aleuritoides, M. punctata, and Homolanthus novo-guineensis. Numbers of herbivores and levels of leaf damage were found to be significantly greater on ant exclusion saplings than on ant access saplings for M. aleuritoides, but not for the other two species. Macaranga aleuritoides was visited by more ant species than the other four tree species and had the highest number of ants per leaf. The antplant associations we examined are relatively unspecialized compared with most of the ant associations with euphorbs that have been studied previously in the Indo-Malesian tropics. MANY PLANTS POSSESS EXTRAFLORAL NECTARIES (EFNs) that are visited by ants, and the role of ants in defending such plants from herbivory has been examined in a number of experimental studies (e.g., Koptur 1979, 1984; O'Dowd 1979; Schemske 1982; Stephenson 1982; Horvitz & Schemske 1984). Several of these studies have shown that ants can indeed protect plants from herbivores, but in others no such effect has been discerned (O'Dowd & Catchpole 1983, Tempel 1983, Boecklen 1984). This apparent variation in the efficacy of EFNs as defenses against herbivory has led some authors to conclude that the likelihood of a strong mutualistic interaction evolving between ants and plants is affected both by features of the plant (such as growth form and characteristics of the nectaries and nectar) and by temporal and spatial variation in the density and composition of the ant and herbivore fauna visiting the plant (e.g., Boecklen 1984, Horvitz & Schemske 1984, Barton 1986). However, very few data are available concerning this variation, particularly from ant-plant systems in the Indo-Malesian tropics. We present the results of a short-term investigation of the ant and herbivore fauna found on the leaves of five species of euphorbiaceous saplings [Macaranga aleuritoides F. Muell., M. punctata Schum., M. quadriglandulosa Warb., Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Muell. Arg., and Homolanthus novo-guineensis (Warb.) Schum.} in the understory of a submontane tropical rain forest in Papua New Guinea. All five species have glands on the leaves near the petiole insertion, and our study was prompted by our observations of ants foraging at these glands on all species. In the Indo-Malesian tropics, species in the euphorbiaceous genera we examined show a range of associations with ants. Most previous work on these associations has been done on such species as Macaranga triloba that provide specialized food bodies and/or nest sites for one or a few species of attendant ants (e.g., Ridley 1910, Rickson 1980, Maschwitz et al. 1984); very little experimental work has been done on species that have EFNs but do not show highly specialized relationships with one or a few ant species. We attempted to determine the differences, if any, between the ant and herbivore communities on the leaves of the five tree species, and examine the consequences, in terms of herbivore numbers and herbivory, of excluding ants from leaves with active

Lake Water Quality and Surrounding Vegetation in Dry Churiya Hills, Far-Western Nepal

Mudka, Bedkot and Jhilmila are natural lakes in dry sub-tropic Churiya hills of Kanchanpur in far-western Nepal. A study was carried out on these lakes to prepare baseline information on water quality, floristic and structural features of adjoining forest vegetation, socio-cultural importance and threats to help support their sustainable use. The study was conducted in March (pre-monsoon) and November 2008 (post-monsoon). A significant seasonal variation (p≤0.05) in the physico-chemical properties of the lake waters was recorded. Adjoining forests of Mudka contained 23 species at canopy, 13 species at shrub and 27 species at herb strata, while that of Bedkot had 31 species of plants at canopy, 9 species at shrub and 37 species at herb strata, and Jhilmila had 23 species at canopy, no species at shrub and 47 species at herb strata. The most frequently seen trees were Mallotus philippensis and Shorea robusta in the forests surrounding Mudka and Bedkot whereas Jhilmila's surrounding forests contained S. robusta, Semicarpus anacardium, Syzygium cumini and Anogeisus latifolius. At shrub stratum, in the forest surrounding Mudka, M. philippensis had the highest density (633.3 no./ha) whereas in case of Bedkot, Solanum erianthum had the highest density (144.0no./ha). At herb stratum, the species with highest coverage at the respective forest were Ageratum conyzoides (7.14%), Viburnum contifolium (8.5%) and Themeda triandra (16.09%). All three lakes possessed cultural values as the people visited the sites as pilgrimage and observed religious festivals mostly on full moon. However, unsustainable consumption of the resources from the surrounding forests is adding pressure on the condition of the lakes. Further, the area and depth of the lakes are diminishing due to the massive amount of sediments from fragile Churiya hills. This calls for the urgent conservation and good management of the lakes. Key words: conservation; forest characteristics; seasonal variation; socio culture DOI: 10.3126/njst.v11i0.4142Nepal Journal of Science and Technology 11 (2010) 181-188