Javed Ahamad

ESSENTIAL OIL COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF LAVANDULA ANGUSTI FOLIA FROM IRAQ

The essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. growing spontaneously in Iraq was investigated by GC and GC/MS for the first time. The oil was extracted from the flowers by hydro - distillation. Thirty - four components amounting to 98.91 % of the oil were identified. The major component being linalool (24.63 %). The other significant constituents were camphor (13.58 %), linalyl acetate (8.89 %), (Z) - β - ocimene (7.59 %), 1,8 - cineole (7.14 %), borneol (6.41 %), ( E) β - ocimene (4.76 %), hotrienol (4.42 %), hexyl butyrate (2.96 %), α - bisabolol (1.13 %) and caryophyllene oxide (1.02 %). The strong antioxidant activity of L. angustifolia oil was also examined using the stable 2,2 - diphenyl - 1 - picrylhydrazyl - hydrate (DPPH ) free radical scavenging method. Antioxidant activity of the oil was expressed as percentage of DPPH radical inhibition and IC 50 values (μg/ml). Values of percentage inhibition ranged from 3.28 to 88.91% for 7.81 μg/ml and 1000 μg/ml, respectively with an IC 50 value of 216 μg/ml for oil. The results suggest the use of lavender oil as effective natural antioxidants.

Development and Validation of a High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic-Densitometric Method for the Quantification of Swertiamarin in Traditional Bitters and Formulations

Plant bitters, traditionally used against loss of appetite and fever, owe their therapeutic efficacy to the content of iridoids such as swertiamarin. The aim of the study was to develop a simple, precise, rapid, and reliable high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the estimation of swertiamarin in traditional bitters and formulations. Aluminum-backed silica gel 60 F254 plates (20 × 10 cm) were used as stationary phase and ethyl acetate–methanol–water (80:15:5, v/v) as the mobile phase. Densitometric quantification was carried out at 246 nm. Regression analysis of the calibration plot showed good linear relationship between peak-area vs. swertiamarin concentration. Linearity was found to be in the range of 200–1200 ng per band. The method was validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for swertiamarin were found to be ~38 and ~115 ng per band, respectively. The developed method was found to be linear (r2 = 0.9981), precise (relative standard deviation [RSD] ≤1.42% and ≤1.83% for intra-day and inter-day precision), accurate (mean recovery ranged from 97.69 ± 1.46 to 100.03 ± 0.61%), specific, and robust. The results showed good correlation with data obtained from HPLC analysis used as the reference method. The method was employed with a high degree of precision and accuracy for the estimation of swertiamarin in Enicostemma littorale, Swertia chirata, and an in-house formulation.

ISOFLAVONE GLYCOSIDES FROM AERIAL PARTS OF Artemisia absinthium

Two new isoflavone glycosides, designated as artemisia bis-isoflavonyl dirhamnoside and artemisia isoflavonyl glucosyl diester, have been isolated from the aerial parts of A. absinthium and their structures established as 7a,7b-bis-[(5a-hydroxy-3′a,4′a-dimethoxyisoflavonyl) (5b,4′b-dihydroxy-3′b-methoxyisoflavonyl)]-4′b-α-Drhamnopyranosyl-(4 → 1)-α-D-rhamnopyranoside and 7,4′-dihydroxyisoflavonyl-7-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(2 → 1)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(2 → 1)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(2 → 1)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-6d-(octadec-9′″-enoate)-2d-7″,11″,15″-trimethylpentadecan-3″,15″-dioic acid-1″-oate on the basis of chemical reactions and spectral data analysis.