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Abstract
This thesis is
divided into three sections, Section A, Section B and Section C.
Section A
deals with ethnomedicinal studies of flora of Southern Punjab,
Pakistan and
establishment of a Herbarium in Lahore College for Women University.
Section B
consists of biological activity (antimicrobial and anticancer) of
extracts of some of the
plants collected from South Punjab and Section C describes the
isolation and
characterization of bioactive compounds by chromatographic and
spectroscopic
techniques.
It is for the first time that the flora of Southern Punjab has been
searched and reported.
Complete ethno medicinal studies of 187 plants belonging to 52
families found in South
Punjab is documented and also categorized therapeutically for the
first time from this
region.
A first world class herbarium has been established in Lahore College
for Women
University by categorizing and preserving 186 voucher specimens of
plants collected
from all over Pakistan. The herbarium is named after the renowned
teacher and pioneer
Botanist Miss Prem Madan in dedication to her services in the field
of Botany in Lahore
College for Women University, Lahore.
For biological activity seven popular ethnomedicinal plants
collected from Southern
Punjab namely Capparis decidua (Capparidaceae), Coronopus didymus (Brassicaeae),
Heliotropium strigosum (Boraginaceae), Salsola kali (Chenopodiaceae),
Salvadora
oleoides (Salvadoraceae), Tamarix aphylla (Tamaricaceae) and
Withania coagulans
(Solanaceae) were selected for antimicrobial and anticancer
activity.
Topical anti tumor activity of these seven ethnomedicinal plants
have been investigated
in detail for the first time and all extracts of the Coronopus
didymus, Salsola kali,
Salvadora oleoides and Tamarix aphylla showed anti tumor activity
and provided a new
source of further exploration in this respect. While methanol
extracts of Withania
coagulans, Capparis decidua and Heliotropium stirgosum had been
shown to possess
best potential against the topical tumor for the first time. The Pet
ether, methanolic and dichloromethane extracts of Withania coagulans,
Capparis decidua and Heliotropium
strigosum reduced the malignancy and cured the fibrous hyperplasia.
The screening of these selected medicinal plants for antibacterial
activity against six
bacterial strains namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilus and Sarcina
lutae after
fractionation in different solvents (methanol, pet ether,
dichloromethane) by agar well
diffusion method showed the methanol extracts to be more potent then
pet ether and
dichloromethane extracts. The antibiotic properties of these seven
strains were studied
against Sarcina lutae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa bacterial
strains for the first time.
Methanol extracts of Capparis decidua and Withania coagulans were
found to be best
bactericidal against all the tested bacterial strains. While
methanolic extract of
Heliotropium strigosum was very active against all the bacterial
strains except
Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Synergistically Withania coagulans in combination with Pinus
wallichiana, Capparis
decidua, Hypericum perforatum, Heliotropium strigosum, Coronopus
didymus and
Salvadora oleoides showed best activity against Staphylococcus
aureus (MIC >
0.1µg/ml) only.
The methanolic extract of Salsola kali in equal amounts with Senecio
chrysthenoides
synergistically inhibited the growth of all bacterial strains except
Sarcina lutae.
The screening of pet ether, methanolic and dichloromethane extracts
of Coronopus
didymus, Withania coagulans, Capparis decidua, Salsola kali,
Heliotropium strigosum,
Salvadora oleoides, and Tamarix aphylla was performed against seven
fungal strains
namely Trichoderma viridis, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium laterifum,
Aspergillus
fumigatus, Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentogrophytes and
Microsporum canis . By
using ANOVA critical value F.05 (6, 36) = 2.38 the plant extracts
were compared with
other antifungal drugs and it was found that extracts of Capparis
decidua, Withania coagulans and Heliotropium strigosum showed best
antifungal activity against all the
fungal strains.(F-Table value< F-calculated value).
On the basis of ethnomedicinal studies and for showing best
biological activity three
medicinal plants namely Heliotropium strigosum, Withania coagulans
and Calotropis
procera were selected for isolation and identification of bioactive
principles and some
other useful applications so as to explore the potential of these
plants on commercial
basis. Due to its reported biological activityl, abundance and wild
nature and use as
heavy metal ion remover Calotropis procera was also selected for the
first time for
identification of its organic phytochemicals having functional
groups responsible of
removing Cr (III) by spectroscopic techniques so as to put it to
some commercial use.
Two Flavonoid aglycones Taxifolin (1) and quercetin (2) had been
isolated from
Heliotropium stirgosum for the first time and identified by
comparison of their spectral
data with that given in the literature.
Taxifolin (1) Quercetin (2)
GC MS studies had resulted in identification of the following
compounds in Withania
coagulans essential oil for the first time,
1. Cyclohexane (3) (C6H6)
2. Borane carbonyl (4) (CH3BO)
3. 3-methyl, hexane (5) (C7H8)
4. Heptane (6) (C7H16)
5. Hexanoic acid (7) (C6H12O2)
6. Nonanoic acid (8) (C9H18O2)
While n-hexane fraction of Calotropis procera was subjected to GC MS
analysis
following open-chain carboxylic acids and their methyl esters were
identified,
1. n-Heptanoic acid methyl ester (9) (C8H16O2)
2. n-Decenoic acid (10): (C10H18O2)
3. n-Nonanoic acid methyl ester (11) (C10H20O2)
4. n-Decenoic acid methyl ester (12) (C11H20O2)
The FT-IR spectra before and after adsorption of Calotropis procera
roots indicated that
bonded –OH groups and /or –NH and carboxyl groups especially played
a major role in
chromium (III) biosorption which was confirmed by GC MS analysis of
Calotropis
procera showing the presence of carboxylic acids for the first time.
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