QUANTIFICATION OF LEAF AND ROOT PLUMBAGIN IN PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA FOLLOWED BY A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH CALLUS AND COMMERCIAL SOURCE

Abstract

Plumbago zeylanica shows the presence of many phytochemical constituents of which plumbagin, a type of naphthoquinone, is vital and has major biological effects. Plumbagin is majorly present in the root of the plants, with a minimal concentration in other parts of the plant. However, extracting plumbagin from the roots is destructive harvesting. Thus, micropropagation could be a viable alternative to reduce the collection of plant from wild. Study from micropropagated leaf calli was considered as a steady and sustainable source of phytochemical.  P. zeyalnica callus was subcultured in an appropriate medium with plant growth regulators to initiate root cultures. A comparative study was performed to estimate the quantities of plumbagin obtain from the wild plant root part and root created by callus culture differentiation.