Rajani Kurup

TL;DR: In this article, the HPTLC-densitometry was used to estimate the Camptothecin (CPT) content of nine Ophiorrhiza species and three varieties collected from their natural habitats in the Kerala region of Western Ghats.

TL;DR: Elite chemotypes/genotypes with high madecassoside/asiaticoside contents were discovered in this study, recommending their conservation and cultivation for large-scale applications of C. asiatica.

TL;DR: The three naphthoquinones, plumbagin, droser one, and 5-O-methyl droserone, act as molecular triggers in prey capture and digestion in the carnivorous plant, N. khasiana.

TL;DR: In this article, the essential oil from the rhizomes of Zingiber neesanum (Graham) Ramamoorthy from the Western Ghats region of southern India was isolated and characterized by GC and GC-MS.

Abstract: Camptothecin (CPT), a modified monoterpene indole alkaloid, is a potential anticancer drug, and due to high demand, search for its new plant-based sources is a priority. Genus Ophiorrhiza is a candidate group in the search for new resources of CPT. Here, CPT contents in 38 Ophiorrhiza accessions, belonging to 11 species and 3 varieties, collected from the southern Western Ghats region in India were quantified by HPTLC-densitometry. Ophiorrhiza mungos (396.54 μg/g, dr. wt.) and O. mungos var. angustifolia (373.19 μg/g, dr. wt.) were the two best CPT sources among the screened species/varieties. O. rugosa var. decumbens (18.55 μg/g, dr. wt.) and O. hirsutula (17.14 μg/g, dr. wt.) showed moderate contents of CPT. This is the first systematic CPT screening of O. hirsutula, O. barnesii, O. incarnata, O. radicans and O. villosa. This study shows the significance of choosing high CPT-yielding ecotypes/chemotypes of Ophiorrhiza species or varieties for commercial purposes.