Resolving Identification Issues of Saraca asoca from Its Adulterant and Commercial Samples Using Phytochemical Markers

Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde (Ashoka) is a highly valued endangered medicinal tree species from Western Ghats of India. Besides treating cardiac and circulatory problems, S. asoca provides immense relief in gynecological disorders. Higher price and demand, in contrast to the smaller population size of the plant, have motivated adulteration with other plants such as Polyalthia longifolia (Sonnerat) Thwaites. The fundamental concerns in quality control of S. asoca arise due to its part of medicinal value (Bark) and the chemical composition. Phytochemical fingerprinting with proper selection of analytical markers is a promising method in addressing quality control issues. In the present study, high-performance liquid chromatography of phenolic compounds (gallic acid, catechin, and epicatechin) coupled to multivariate analysis was used. Five samples each of S. asoca, P. longifolia from two localities alongside five commercial market samples showed evidence of adulteration. Subsequently, multivariate hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis was established to discriminate the adulterants of S. asoca. The proposed method ascertains identification of S. asoca from its putative adulterant P. longifolia and commercial market samples. The data generated may also serve as baseline data to form a quality standard for pharmacopoeias. Abbreviations used: HPLC: High Performance Liquid Chromatography; RP-HPLC: Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography; CAT: Catechin; EPI: Epicatechin; GA: Gallic acid; PCA: Principal Component Analysis.

• Publication year

  2017

• Venue

  Pharmacognosy Magazine

• Publication date

  2017-04-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.4103/pm.pm_417_16PMID 28808391PMCID 5538165
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Contributions of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in the area of Medicinal plants/Traditional medicine.

  2017cited by this paper
• Isolation and HPLC profiling of chemical constituents of Saraca asoca stem bark

  2016cited by this paper
• DNA barcoding and NMR spectroscopy-based assessment of species adulteration in the raw herbal trade of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willd, an important medicinal plant

  2016cited by this paper
• Chemical investigation of commercial grape seed derived products to assess quality and detect adulteration.

  2015cited by this paper
• Bioactive fraction of Saraca indica prevents diabetes induced cataractogenesis: An aldose reductase inhibitory activity

  2015cited by this paper
• Monitoring seasonal variation of epicatechin and gallic acid in the bark of Saraca asoca using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method

  2015cited by this paper
• Seasonal variation in the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content of Artemisia absinthium essential oils

  2015cited by this paper
• Effect of Saraca asoca (Asoka) on estradiol-induced keratinizing metaplasia in rat uterus

  2015cited by this paper
• Phytomedicinal importance of Saraca asoca (Ashoka): an exciting past, an emerging present and a promising future

  2015cited by this paper
• Traditional Medicinal Knowledge in India and Malaysia

  2015cited by this paper
• Ethnomedicinal plants to cure skin diseases-an account of the traditional knowledge in the coastal parts of Central Western Ghats, Karnataka, India.

  2014cited by this paper
• 'Asoka' - an important medicinal plant, its market scenario and conservation measures in India

  2014influential reference
• Adulteration of Ginkgo biloba products and a simple method to improve its detection.

  2014cited by this paper
• Adulteration and cultivation region identification of American ginseng using HPLC coupled with multivariate analysis.

  2014cited by this paper
• Nontargeted Identification of the Phenolic and Other Compounds of Saraca asoca by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Positive Electrospray Ionization and Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

  2013cited by this paper
• Quantitative analysis of catechins in Saraca asoca and correlation with antimicrobial activity

  2013cited by this paper
• The heavy metal contents of some selected medicinal plants sampled from different geographical locations

  2013cited by this paper
• Assessment of genetic variability in the Asoka Tree of India

  2012influential reference
• RP-HPLC analysis of phenolic antioxidant compound 6-gingerol from different ginger cultivars

  2011cited by this paper
• A Comprehensive Approach to Identifying and Authenticating Botanical Products

  2010cited by this paper
• The chemistry, pharmacologic, and therapeutic applications of Polyalthia longifolia

  2010cited by this paper
• Authentication and quality evaluation of an important Ayurvedic drug - Ashoka bark

  2009cited by this paper
• Antidiabetic plants used by Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayan tribes , India

  2005cited by this paper
• Antidiabetic plants used by Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayan tribes, India.

  2005cited by this paper
• Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants, Volume 1: Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR, New Delhi, India, 2003, xvi + 262 pp., 32 Chapters and colour plates, 6 Appendices, 3 Indices, US$ 40.00, hard cover, ISSN: 0972-7213

  2004cited by this paper
• Indian medicinal plants : a compendium of 500 species

  1994cited by this paper
• Indian Medicinal Plants: A Compendium of 500 Species

  1993cited by this paper
• Effect of asoka on the intracellular glutathione levels and skin tumour promotion in mice.

  1993cited by this paper
• A New Clerodane-Type Butenolide Diterpene from the Bark of Polyalthia longifolia

  1992cited by this paper
• Cytotoxic clerodane diterpenes from Polyalthia longifolia.

  1991cited by this paper
• Pharmacognosy of Ashoka Stem Bark and its Adulterants

  1988influential reference
• Red data book of Indian plants

  1987cited by this paper
• A Dictionary of the Flowering Plants of India

  1976cited by this paper
• Oxytocic activity of a pure phenolic glycoside (P2) from Saraca indica Linn (Ashoka): a short communication.

  1970cited by this paper

• Eco-Friendly Synthesis and Photocatalytic Application of rGO-MgO Nanocomposites for Eosin Y Dye Degradation

  2025cites this paper
• Facile Green Synthesis of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles for UV-Activated Photocatalytic Treatment of Rhodamine B Dye

  2025cites this paper
• Investigating potent cardioprotective compounds as ACE inhibitors in Saraca asoca

  2024cites this paper
• HPLC Based Metabolomic Fingerprint Profiling as A Comprehensive Quality Assessment Tool, Why Not for Standardization of Ayurvedic Herbs and Formulations?

  2024cites this paper
• IR and 1H-NMR based differentiation of stem bark of Saraca asoca from its most commonly used adulterant Polyalthia longifolia

  2023cites this paper
• Comparative evaluation of anti-obesity effect through pancreatic lipase inhibition of methanolic extract of the bark of Saraca asoca and Cynometra travancorica

  2023cites this paper
• Monitoring of catechin content by high performance liquid chromatography during the development of seed and pods of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Willd

  2023cites this paper
• A systematic investigation on flavonoids, catechin, β-sitosterol and lignin glycosides from Saraca asoca (ashoka) having anti-cancer & antioxidant properties with no side effect

  2022cites this paper
• A search for potential anti-HIV phytoconstituents from the natural product repository

  2022cites this paper
• Genetic diversity in Terminalia arjuna from the North Western region of Himachal Pradesh, India

  2021cites this paper
• Molecular Fingerprinting of Indian Medicinal Tree Sara Asoca using RAPD Markers

  2021cites this paper
• Amelioration of sodium fluoride induced oxidative stress by Cynometra travancorica Bedd in mice

  2021cites this paper
• Quality Assessment of Sitopaladi Churna Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Multivariate Analysis.

  2020cites this paper
• Polyalthia longifolia leaves methanolic extract targets entry and budding of viruses-an in vitro experimental study against paramyxoviruses.

  2020cites this paper
• Population genetic and phytochemical dataset of Saraca asoca: A traditionally important medicinal tree

  2019cites this paper
• Assessment of genetic diversity of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De Wilde: a commercially important, but endangered, forest tree species in Western Ghats, India

  2018cites this paper
• Genetic and phytochemical investigations for understanding population variability of the medicinally important tree Saraca asoca to help develop conservation strategies.

  2018cites this paper
• Molecular identification of Saraca asoca from its substituents and adulterants

  2018cites this paper
• Geographical classification of Adhatoda vasica based on HPLC fingerprint analysis coupled with multivariate analysis

  2018cites this paper
• Categorization of Saraca asoca and Polyalthia longifolia, using chemical and genetic fingerprinting associated with multivariate statistical analysis

  2018cites this paper
• Combination of DNA isolation and RP-HPLC analysis method for bark samples of Saraca asoca and its adulterant

  2017cites this paper