Research Article Journal of Atoms and Molecules An International Online Journal ISSN 2277 1247 IDENTIFICATION OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN VARIOUS MEDICINAL PLANTS Rambabu Kuchi*, Satyasri Mudunuri, Narmada.S.K.Pulagam, Sairam Kapisetty, Chinimilli Sriramya, D.Kurma Rao, Chilaka.Kishore, K.V.V.N.Prasad, Sudhakar.M, P.Somanna Babu. Department of Analytical Chemistry, D.N.R COLLEGE, Bhimavaram, A.P, India.534202 Received on: 16-03-2012 Revised on: 10-04-2012 Accepted on: 17 04 2012 Abstract: Phenolic compounds make up one of the major families of secondary metabolites in plants and they represent a diverse group of compounds. Phenolics can be broadly divided into non-soluble compounds such as condensed tannins, lignins, and cell-wall bound hydroxycinammic acids, and soluble phenolics such as phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids flavonoids and quinones. In this article, a method for extracting and analysing the soluble fraction of these phenolics, in different plants having the medicinal activity using spectrophotometer. The results show that the plants under the study contain high amount of phenolic compound content and hence are may be having the medicinal value. Out of all these plants Azadirecta indica has the maximum phenolic compounds in high contents. Key Words: Phenolic compounds, Extraction, medicinal plants. Introduction: * Corresponding author Rambabu K, Email: rambabu.kunchi@gmail.com Natural phenols, bioavailable phenols, plant phenolics, low molecular weight phenols orphenoloids are a class of natural organic compounds. They are small molecules containing one or more phenolic group. These molecules are smaller in size than polyphenols, containing less than 12 phenolic groups. They can be classified as simple phenols (monophenols), with only one phenolic group, or di- (bi-), tri- and All rights reserved 2011 www.jamonline.in 191
Jamonline / 2(2); 2012 / 191 195 oligophenols, with two, three or several phenolic groups respectively. They can be found in plants and have an antioxidant activity. They are the most widely distributed class of plant secondary metabolites and several thousand different compounds have been identified Figure 1: Quercetin ( Natural Phenol) Phenolic compounds are a large and diverse group of molecules, which includes many different families of aromatic secondary metabolites in plants. These phenolics are the most abundant secondary metabolites in plants an d can be classified into non-soluble compounds such as condensed tannins, lignins, cell-wall bound hydroxycinammic acids, and soluble compounds such as phenolic acids phenylpropanoids, flavonoids and quinones. All these groups are involved in many processes in plants and animals. One family, the flavonoids, is of particular interest because of its multiple roles in plants and its impact on human health (Harborne and Williams, 2000) In plants, flavonoids play a role in flower and seed pigmentation, in plant fertility and reproduction, and in various defence reactions to protect against abiotic stresses like UV light or biotic stresses such as predator and pathogen attacks (Weisshaar and Jenkins, 1998; Winkel-Shirley, 2001; Forkmann and Martens, 2001). Evidence also sugg ests their involvement in plan t growth and development since they have been shown to regulate polar auxin transport (Murphy et al., 2000; Brown et al 2001). In this article, we describe the isolation of phenolic compounds from the leaves of ten different plants that are having the medicinal values. The plants properties may be due to the presence of these phenolic compounds in high amount and hence are used in Indian Ayurveda. Material and Methods: Collection of Plant Materials: having the medicinal The plants used for the estimation of phenolic compound are cinnamomum tamla, Vanda coerulea, Azadirachta indica, Caesalpini oideae, Tectona grandis, Bambuseae tribe, Elaeocarpus ganitrus, Carica papay. All the plant materials were collected from botanical garden, D.N.R College, Bhimavaram, AP, India. The plants were conformed in the Botany Department and a specimen sample was submitted in the herbarium. Chemicals: All of the chemicals used in the work were purchased from MERCK Chemicals PVT All rights reserved 2011 www.jamonline.in 192
LTD; Mumbai. The chemicals were A R grade. Double beam UV- visible Spectrophotometer (TECH COMP UV-2301) is used for the measurement of the absorbance s of the extracted samples. Preparation of Calibration curve: Phenol was used for the preparation of calibration curve for the estimation of total phenolic compounds in the plants. Selected amount of standard phenol was diluted to get a concentration range of 5ppm to 30ppm. The absorbance of each concentration was measured and plat a calibration curve. Preparation of Extract: Plant materials were collected and are air dried under shade and away from the direct sun light. The dried material was crushed to make a fine powder. The powdered sample was weighed. 10grams of the weighed sample was taken and is extracted with 100ml of the Methanol by using Saxlet extractor. The extract was used for the estimation of phenolic compound content in the plant. The absorbance of the extract was measured at 254nm by using spectrophotometer. Results were compared with the standard graph. Calibration curve Results and Discussions: Total phenolic compound content were estimated by using the formula Y=0.026x- 0.0071. The results were tabulated in table 1. All rights reserved 2011 www.jamonline.in 193
Conc. of S.NO NAME OF THE phenolic compound PLANT ppm/200mg of the sample 1 Azadirachta indica 163.6 2 Bambuseae tribe 10.9 3 Caesal panioideae 27.3 4 Carica papaya 233 5 Elaeocarpus ganitrus 24.6 6 Malabathrum 41.18 7 Tectona grandis 44.6 8 Vanda 32.08 Table 1 From the above results, the maximum concentration of phenolic compound is found in Carica papaya and minimum concentration of phenolic compoundfound in Bambuseae tribe. Conclusion: Finally we conclude that the plants under research get the identification of phenolic compounds. All the plants contain high amount of total phenolic compound content. Various studies shown that phenolic compound has antioxidant (Zheng W 2001, Aneta Wojdyło 2007) and antimicrobial properties (Pereira AP 2007). Hence these plants has various medicinal uses for humans against pathogens. Referrences: 1 Harborne JB and Williams CA. (2000) Advances in flavonoid research since 1992 Phytochemistry 55, 481-504. 2 Weisshaar B, and Jenkins G. (1998) Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and its regulation Current Opinion Plant Biology, 251-257. 3 Winkel-Shirley B. (2001Flavonoid Biosynthesis. A Colorful Model for Genetics Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Biotechnology Plant Physiology 126, 485-493. 4 Forkmann G and Martens S. (2001) Metabolic engineering and applications of flavonoids Current Opinion in Biotechnology 12, 155-160. All rights reserved 2011 www.jamonline.in 194
5 Murphy A, Peer WA, and Taiz L. (2000) Regulation of auxin transport by aminopeptidases and endogenous flavonoids Planta, 211, 315-324 6 Brown DE, Rashotte AM, Murphy AS, Normanly J, Tague BW, Peer WA, Taiz L, and Muday GK. (2001) Flavonoids act as negative regulators of auxin transport in vivo in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology 126, 524-535. 7 Zheng W, Wang SY.Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in selected herbs, J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Nov;49(11):5165-70. 8 Aneta Wojdyło, Jan Oszmianski, Renata Czemerys, Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in 32 selected herbs, Food Chemistry 105 (2007) 940 949. 9 Pereira AP, Estevinho L, Bento A, Pereira JA, Phenolic compounds and antimicrobial activity of olive (Olea europaea L. Cv. Cobrançosa) leaves, Molecules. 2007 May 26; 12(5): 153-62. All rights reserved 2011 www.jamonline.in 195