Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Variation in antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituents of Didymocarpus pedicellatus R.Br. across three phenological phases
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Chandra Ishita, Pant Sugandha, Bahuguna Aabha, Chaturvedi Preeti
Research Articles | Published: 08 September, 2026
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Keywords: n Didymocarpus pedicellatusn , Phenological stages, Phytochemistry, Gas chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Antioxidants
Abstract
Didymocarpus pedicellatus R.Br., popularly known as Charela, Patharphori and Pashanbhed, is an important medicinal herb of the family Gesneriaceae. All parts of the plant have pharmaceutical applications, with the leaves particularly used for the treatment of renal diseases, especially kidney stones. The present study investigated the changes in the content and composition of phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, antioxidants and metabolic profile of methanolic leaf extracts across three phenological stages, namely, vegetative, flowering and fruiting. The results showed significant (p???0.05) variation in the chemical profile across these stages. Total phenolics and flavonoids reached their highest levels during the vegetative stage, whereas, total tannins peaked during the flowering stage. Among the three phenophases, the vegetative stage showed maximum antioxidant potential as exhibited by DPPH free radical scavenging assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power and total antioxidant capacity determined by phosphomolybdenum assay. GC-MS analysis revealed phenological stage-dependent phytochemical variation, with triterpenoids (10.82–20.99%) being the predominant class followed by flavonoids, diterpenoids, and phytosterols. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that the phytochemical profiles of the vegetative and flowering stages were more similar to each other, whereas the fruiting stage formed a distinct cluster, suggesting that the metabolic profile of the plant changes as it matures. Thus, the study established that the phenological stages significantly influence the concentration of phytoconstituents and, in turn, their resulting antioxidant activities. It also identified the optimal harvesting stage of D. pedicellatus, viz., the vegetative stage, for higher phytochemical and antioxidant potential.
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Author Information
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India