Pharmacognostic Study of Aerial Parts of Celosia argentea Linn.

SV Devhare¹, SA Nirmal¹*, RA Rub², NS Dighe³, SR Pattan³, Subhash C Mandal⁴ and PM Gaikwad⁵

¹Department of Pharmacognosy, Pravara Rural College of Pharmacy, Pravaranagar, M.S., India.

²Department of Pharmacognosy, Allana College of Pharmacy, Pune, M.S., India.

³Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pravara Rural College of Pharmacy, Pravaranagar, M.S., India.

⁴Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy Research Laboratory, Depatment of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India.

⁵Department of Pharmacoloy, PDVVP College Of Pharmacy, Ahmednagar, M.S., India

ABSTRACT

Celosia argentea Linn (Amaranthaceae) grows as a weed during rainy season throughout India and other tropical regions of the world such as Sri Lanka, South Asia, Africa and America. It is used traditionally for the treatment of jaundice, gonorrhea, inflammations, wounds, itching, diarrhea, blood diseases, mouth sores, and fever. It is also having an antipyretic, antidiabetic, antibacterial, diuretic, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, and antimetastatic properties.

Objective of present work is to standardize the aerial parts by morphology, microscopy and various physical constants. The morphology, microscopy, determination of various physical constants viz. ash values, extractive values, moisture content and phytochemical screening were performed.

Morphological study reveals that the leaf is green, linear-lanceolate, ovate, acute and entire; the stem is yellowish green, erect, simple with grooved branches, flowers are first pinkish afterward glistering white in color, seeds are black, polished and shining. Microscopically leaf shows presence of chollenchyma, 3-4 vascular bundles at the center, palisade cells on upper side only; and microscopically stem shows the presence of xylem vessel, cortex, vascular bundles and pith.

Total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash and sulphated ash of aerial parts was found to be 14.5 % w/w, 2.0 % w/w, 3.0 % w/w and 20.0 %w/w respectively. Water-soluble and alcohol soluble extractive values of aerial parts were found to be 16.2 % w/w, 6.0%w/w respectively. Moisture content of aerial parts was found to be 11.0 % w/w.

INTRODUCTION:

C. argentea Linn (Amaranthaceae) is commonly known as Woolflower (Cock’s comb),distributed throughout India, Ceylon-Tropical Asia, Africa, and America. The plant is a weed in wastelands and cultivated fields in the hills and plains. It is an annual herb, 0.3-0.9 m high and glabrous. Stem is erect, simple or ascending, with grooved branches. Leaves are 7-13 ´ 0.5-1cm, alternate, elliptic to lanceolate, acute, and entire above. Flowers are bisexual, pink or white in terminal elongated spikes, crowded, sometimes branching at the apex in a cock’s comb form, ovate bracteoles, oblanceolate, and curved. Sepals are linear- lanceolate and acute. Capsules are 3-4 mm long ellipsoid, tapering at the apex into style. Seeds are black in color and shining. Traditionally the plant is used

for the treatment of jaundice, gonorrhea, inflammations, wounds, itching, diarrhea, blood diseases, mouth sores, and fever. It is also having an anti-pyretic, antidiabetic, antibacterial, diuretic, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, and antimetastatic properties (Kirtikar`and Basu, 1987; Nadkarni, 1982). For this reasons, our objective was to report the macroscopic, microscopic and some other pharmacognostic characters of aerial parts of the C. argentea which could be used to prepare a monograph for the proper identification of the plant Traditional and folk medicinal system shows that C. argentea is used for the treatment of jaundice, gonorrhea, inflammations, wounds, itching, diarrhea, blood diseases, mouth sores, and fever. It is also having an anti –pyretic, anti diabetic, anti bacterial, diuretic, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, and anti-metastatic properties. So, our aim was to standardize the leaves and stem of C. argentea by morphology, microscopy and various physical constants viz. ash values, extractive values, and moisture content for the identification of the plant.

Fig.1 Transverse section of C. argentea Leaf

Fig. 2 Transverse section of C. argentea Leaf showing lamina

Fig. 3 Transverse section of C. argentea stem

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Samples of C. argentea were collected from Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and authenticated at Botanical Survey of India, Pune, where a sample (voucher number SVDAC1; Reference number-BSI /WC/ Tech / 2007) has been deposited.

Qualitative investigation

The macroscopic features of the fresh leaves and stem of C.argentea were determined using the method described in Khandelwal (2003).

Quantitative investigation

The moisture content, ash and extractive values of the powdered aerial parts were carried out as described in the Indian Pharmacopoeia (1996) and Khandelwal (2003).

Phytochemical Investigation

The preliminary phytochemical investigation was done by the standard chemical tests of Evans (1996) and Brain and Turner (1975).

Fig.4 Transverse section of C. argentea stem

Table 1. Evaluation of some pharmacognostic standards of the powdered aerial parts of C.argentea

Evaluation parameters	Value (% w/w)*
Moisture content	11.0
Total ash value	14.5
Water-soluble ash value	3.0
Acid-insoluble ash value	2.0
Sulphated ash	20
Water soluble extractive value	16.2
Alcohol soluble extractive value	6.0

*Mean value of five counts

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Morphological study reveals that the leaf is green, linear-lanceolate, ovate, acute and entire; the stem is yellowish green, erect, simple with grooved branches; flowers are first pinkish afterward glistering white in color, crowed, imbricate in close cylindric blunt; seeds are black, polished and shining. Microscopically leaf shows presence of cholenchyma, 3-4 Vascular bundles at center, palisade cells on upper side only; and microscopically stem shows the presence of xylem vessel, cortex, vascular bundles, and pith. The quantitative determination of some pharmacognostic parameters is useful for setting standards for crude drugs. The physical constant evaluation is an important parameter in detecting adulteration or improper handling

Table 2. Preliminary phytochemical investigation of various extracts of aerial parts of C. argentea

Chemical test	Petroleum ether extract	Chloroform extract	Benzene extract	Ethanol extract	Aqueous extract
Carbohydrate	+	-	+	+	+
Proteins	-	-	-	+	-
Amino acid	-	-	-	-	+
Steroid	+	+	+	+	-
Glycosides	+	+	+	+	-
Alkaloids	-	-	-	+	-
Tannins	-	-	-	-	+
Flavonoids	-	-	-	+	+
Saponins	-	-	-	-	+

of the drug. Various ash values are important to determine purity of the drug i.e. the presence or absence of foreign organic matter. Different chemical compounds such as steroids, saponins, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, amino acids, proteins, and carbohydrates were detected in various extracts of the plant. Since the plant C. argentea is useful in the traditional medicine for the treatment of some ailment, it is important to standardize it for use as a drug. The pharmacognostic constants for the aerial parts of this plant, the diagnostic microscopic features and the numerical standards reported in this work could be useful for the compilation of a suitable monograph for its proper identification.

REFERENCES:

Nadkarni AK, Indian Materia Medica. Edn 3, Vol. I, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1982, 297.

Kirtikar KR, Basu BD, Indian Medicinal Plants, Edn 2, Vol III, Popular Prakashan, International Book Distributors, Bombay, 1987, 2052-2055.

Anonymous: The Indian Pharmacopoeia, The Controller of Publications, Government of India, New Delhi, 1996, A-53, A-54, A-089.

Khandelwal KR, Practical Pharmacognosy, Edn 10, Nirali Prakashan, Pune, 2003, 162-165.

Evans WC, Trease and Evans ‘Pharmaconosy’, Edn 15, W.B. Sounders Company Ltd., London, 1996, 545-546.

Brain KR, Turner TD, The Practical Evaluation of Phytopharmaceuticals. Wright Science Technica, Bristol, 1975, 81-82.

Received on 04.09.2009

Accepted on 12.09.2009

© A&V Publication all right reserved

Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 1(2): Sept. - Oct. 2009, 134-136