PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF ARTEMISIA NILAGIRICA WITH REFERENCE TO ITS ANTI-UROLITHICAL ACTIVITY
Ashutosh Mishra, Sachin Soni
ABSTRACT
In the present study, successive extracts of Artemisia nilagirica were prepared and evaluated for pharmacognostic and pharmacological activities. The preliminary phytochemical investigation of Artemisia nilagirica extracts showed presence of glycosides, saponins and triterpenoids. Three extracts MeE of Artemisia nilagirica possessing optimum bioactivity were subjected to fractionation using non-polar to polar solvents and all fractions were further subjected to TLC/HPTLC finger printing. Although, the exact phytochemistry of isolated compound (lupeol) remains unidentified; further systematic phytochemical studies would elucidate the probable structural entities in these plants and their structure activity relationship with similar biomolecules from other lithontriptic plants. Neverthe less, there are reports which correlate the antiurolithiatic activity ofthelupeol with its diuretic potentials. Accordingly, the diuretic potentials exhibited by extracts of Artemisia nilagirica ) suggest that it could also be the contributing factor for lithontriptic properties shown by these plant extracts. Diuresis reduces the risk of stone formation by forbidding the saturation product of CaOx. Further, the study of these plant extracts at molecular level would elaborate the exact modus operandi of these plant extracts as a diuretic and antiurolithiatic agent.
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