Abstract

INTRODUCTORY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS IN THE LEAVES OF TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA (THUNB.) MIERS

A. Mangaiyarkarasi and M. H. Muhammad Ilyas*

Abstract

Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers is a herbaceous, deciduous and dioecious plant, evergreen perennial climber of the family Menispermaceae. The plant is indigenous to the tropical areas and distributed throughout India. It is a plant of significant medicinal importance in the Indian system and designated as Rasayana. Its efficacy has been also recognized by the modern system of medicine. This plant has been known to possess immunomodulatory, hypoglycaemic, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycaemic, antiallergic, antiinflammatory The aim of this study is to determine the phytochemical constituents of leaf extracts of Tinospora cordifolia. Dried leaf material was grounded to coarse powder and stored in airtight container followed by the extraction with methanol, ethanol, chloroform, petroleum ether and acetone. The dry powder of leaf sample was observed under U.V. light to evaluate the fluorescence. Phytochemical screening of leaf crude extracts of Tinospora cordifolia in different solvents like methanol, ethanol, petroleum ether, chloroform and acetone. The quantitative studies revealed that leaves of Tinospora cordifolia possessed alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, phytosterols, proteins, flavonoids and lignin. The preliminary phytochemical screening tests in individual plant or plant part may be useful in the detection of the bioactive principles and subsequently may lead to the drug discovery and drug development.

Keywords: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of phytochemicals, Fluorescence analysis, Tinospora cordifolia.