Phytochemical characterization and evaluation of anti-amnesic activity of two source plants of Shankhapushpi

Abstract

Background

Shankhapushpi is an important Ayurvedic drug used for treating various disease conditions of nervous system. Convolvulus prostratus Forssk. is the genuine source plant for Shankhapushpi as per Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; however Clitorea ternatea L. is widely used as Shankhapushpi in southern part of India. In this study, comparative phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation has been done in two plants such as Convolvulus prostratus and Clitorea ternatea used as Shankhapushpi.

Methods

Phytochemical comparison was done by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Detailed metabolite profiling was performed using Q-TOF-LC/MS-MS analysis. Antiamnesic activity of selected plants has been evaluated against scopolamine induced amnesia model in Wistar rats.

Results

Phytochemical studies showed that only a few chemical constituents are common for both species. Most of the phytochemicals are different for selected species. LC/MS analysis showed presence of genipin and 7-hydroxyflavone in both species. Pharmacological study showed that both plants possess antiamnesic activity against Scopolamine induced memory loss; However C. ternatea possesses significant antiamnesic activity than that of C. prostratus.

Conclusion

The study provided valuable information about the selected species in terms of its phytochemical composition and pharmacological properties. The study also provided a scientific support for using both species as Shankhapushpi.