Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Phytochemical differentiation of three species of the Flemingia genus
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Research Articles | Published: 15 September, 2025
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Keywords: Antioxidant, Biomarker, Chromatography, Endemic, Kaempferol, Safety
Abstract
Despite a long traditional use of some species, the genus Flemingia has not been explored copiously. It is an important source of medicinal natural products, particularly flavonoids and steroids. In the current study, an attempt has been made to standardise extracts of F. tuberosa, F. vestita and F. strobilifera and compare their phytochemical constituents and physicochemical parameters. Chromatographic techniques were used to develop fingerprints for the extracts, which can be used as an identity parameter for the plants. Further, an HPTLC and HPLC method was developed and validated as per ICH guidelines for the quantification of pharmacologically active biomarker kaempferol from the plant extract. The content of kaempferol was found to be maximum in the tubers of F. vestita, which can be attributed to the plant being an endemic species from north northeast. The extracts of all three species were also found to possess antioxidant potential and were safe in albino Swiss mice up to 2 g/kg body weight. The scientific data generated forms the comparative analysis of these three species and can be compiled as a monograph for the same.
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Author Information
Herbal Research Lab, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College, Mumbai, India