Abstract

PATTERN OF ANTHRAQUINONINE DERIVATIVES IN SOME CASSIA SPECIES: A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION

Vinay Pandit, MS Ashawat and CPS Verma*

ABSTRACT

A study of qualitative and quantitative estimation of anthraquinone glycosides in Cassia occidentalis, Cassia surratensis and Cassia tora has been carried out. The determination of Rf values, UV- maxima and melting point helped the correct identification of free anthraquinone derivatives. They were tested for their presence by carrying out the extraction of the materials in soxhlet apparatus with chloroform and the extractives were subjected to borntrager‟s test. The various parts of Cassia occidentalis showed the presence of chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, emodin, physcion, and an unknown components as majorcomponents in a decreasing order. Different methods and investigation have been done for the estimation of total percentage of glycosidic aglycone and found almost same. The results on being compared with earlier findings showed marked variations. The variability could be attributed to the change in the chemical composition of the phenotype and genotype and the method adopted for isolation, identification and quantitative estimation of these compounds. The distribution of anthracene derivatives in the cassia species investigated so far show a very unsystematic and ambiguous pattern of these derivatives and that could be the reason why many chemo taxonomists are of the opinion that anthraquinone derivatives cannot be the basis for chemotaxonomical classification of cassia species. But looking into the work reported on these species it is observed that no systematic work has been carried out to look into the occurrence of anthraquinone derivatives in all parts of Cassia species at one time using the identical methods of analysis. However, it is opinioned that if a systematic study as was undertaken in the present investigation is carried out, we might come to a conclusion for establishing a definite chemo taxonomical classification of cassia species. 

Keywords: Anthraquinone; glycosidic aglycone; phenotype; genotype.