International Journal of Pharmacy & Life Sciences

Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the Malvaceae family, which is native to India. It is an erect hispid herbaceous trailing herb that grows up to 1.5m tall with a long slender tap root. Leaves are alternate, rough, hairy and heart-shaped. They have 3 to 5 lobes and can grow to 15cm long. Flowers resemble those of the hibiscus and are usually watermelon pink, although they are sometimes white or cream in colour. They last for only one day and their flowering depends on the timing of the wet season. Seeds are contained within hairy capsules up to 8 cm long, which are tough but papery. The seeds have a sweet, flowery, heavy fragrance similar to that of musk. The present paper deals with review on pharmacological and phytochemical profile of Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. Key-words: Abelmoschus moschatus, Pharmacological, Phytochemical Introduction Medicinal plants are living and irreparable resources that is exhaustible if over used and sustainable if used with care and wisdom. The importance of medicinal plants has been mentioned since ancient time. However, at present medicinal plants are looked upon not only as a source of health care but also as a source of income (Dwivedi et al., 2007). These plants generated commercial demand for pharmacopoeial drugs and their products in India (Dwivedi S., 2014). Efforts have been made in recent years to introduce many of these drug plants to common people. Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the Malvaceae family, which is native to India. It is an erect hispid herbaceous trailing herb that grows up to 1.5m tall with a long slender tap root. The plant is used in the treatment of various diseases as described in traditional and folk remedies. Every part of this medicinal plant is used in one or the other way. Seeds are effective aphrodisiac and antispasmodic, and used in tonics. They check vomiting and are useful in treating intestinal disorders, urinary discharge, nervous disorders, hysteria, skin diseases etc. The mucilaginous seeds are emollients and demulcents. * Corresponding Author E.mail: E.mail: [email protected] Mob.+91-9893077870 Flower infusion is contraceptive. Different parts of the plant have uses in traditional and complementary medicine, not all of which have been scientifically proven. It is used externally to relieve spasms of the digestive tract, cramp, poor circulation and aching joints. It is also considered an insecticide and an aphrodisiac. In India, roots, leaves (rarely), and seeds of ambrette are considered valuable traditional medicines. The bitter, sweet, acrid, aromatic seeds are used as a tonic and are considered cooling, aphrodisiac, opthalmic, cardiotonic, digestive, stomachic, constipating, carminative, pectoral, diuretic, stimulant, antispasmodic, deodorant, and effective against kapha and vata, intestinal complaints, stomatitis; and diseases of the heart. According to Unani system of medicine seeds allay thirst, cure stomatitis, dyspepsia, urinary discharge, gonorrhea, leucoderma and itch. Roots and leaves are cures for gonorrhea (Orwa et al.,; Jain, 1991). The present paper deals with studies on pharmacological and phytochemical profile of the selected medicinal plant. Review on Pharmacological and Phytochemical Profile of Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. A comprehensive review of literature was done to study the work done in the selected species and it was found that, several authors reported on pharmacological and phytochemical profile of selected Review Article [Dwivedi & Argal, 6(7): July, 2015:4657-4660] CODEN (USA): IJPLCP ISSN: 0976-7126 © Sakun Publishing House (SPH): IJPLS 4658 species. Chatterjee et al., (2005) studied emollient and antipruritic effect of itch cream in dermatological disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Liu et al., (2005) investigated myricetin as the active principle of Abelmoschus moschatus to lower plasma glucose in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Liu et al., (2006) studied mediation of β-endorphin by myricetin to lower plasma glucose in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Krishnaraju (2006) did the biological screening of medicinal plants collected from Eastern Ghats of India using Artemia salina (brine shrimp test). Ngoc et al., (2008) investigated hypolipidemic effect of extracts from Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae) on Tyloxapol-Induced hyperlipidemia in Mice. Liu et al., (2007) investigated improvement of insulin sensitivity in obese Zucker rats by myricetin extracted from Abelmoschus moschatus. Liu et al., (2009) studied Abelmoschus moschatus (Malvaceae), an aromatic plant, suitable for medical or food uses to improve insulin sensitivity. Maheshwari et al. (2009) investigated antimicrobial activity of Abelmoschus moschatus leaf extracts. Rival et al., (2009) studied Hibiscus abelmoschus seed extract as a protective active ingredient to favour FGF-2 activity in skin. Singh et al., (2012) studied evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of Abelmoschus moschatus seed in paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity on rat. Christina and Muthumani (2012) reported phytochemical investigation and diuretic activity of Abelmoschus moschatus Medikus Christina and Muthumani (2013) reported phytochemical investigation and anti lithiatic activity of Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.Nee et al., (1986) investigated the seed coat components of Hibiscus abelmoschus. Camciuc et al., (1998) studied volatile components in okra seed coat. Blunden et al., (2001) studied betaine distribution in the Malvaceae. Holser et al. (2002) determined the extraction of lipid components from seeds of Hibiscus species by supercritical carbon dioxide. Cravo et al., (2006) studied the chemical composition of the essential oil, oleoresin and its volatile product obtained from ambrette (Abelmoschus moschatus moench) seeds. Liu et. al., (2007) studied myricetin, a naturally occurring flavonol, ameliorates insulin resistance induced by a high-fructose diet in rats. Du et al. (2008) estimated the volatile organic nitrogen-containing constituents in ambrette Abelmoschus moschatus Medik (Malvaceaae). Adelakun et al., (2009) studied chemical composition and the anti-oxidative properties of Nigerian Okra Seed (Abelmoschus moschatus M.) Flour. Plant Profile Botanical Name : Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. Family : Malvaceae Synonyms : Hibiscus abelmoschus Linn.(Nadkarni, 1927). Taxonomic classification Kingdom : Plantae  Phyllum : Angiosperms  Class : Eudicots  Sub-Class : Rosids  Order : Malvales  Family : Malvaceae  Genus : Abelmoschus  Species : moschatus Vernacular Names  English : Muskmallow, Ambrette  Sanskrit : Latakasturika, Gandapura  Hindi : Mushkdana, kasturi bendi, Kasturidana  Marathi : Kasthuri bhendi  Tamil : Varttilaikasturi  Telugu : Kasturi benda  Kannada : Kasturi bende  Assamese : Gorukhiakorai  Gujarati : Mushkdana  Malyalam : Kasthurivenda  French : Ambretta semi  German : Musk Okra (Nadkarni, 1927). Part used : Seed, flower, root, leaves Distribution It is native of India and is cultivated widely as an oil seed crop in India, Southern China, Vietnam, Nepal, Tropical Asia, South East Asia and some parts of the Pacific. Description Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the Malvaceae family, which is native to India. It is an erect hispid herbaceous trailing herb that grows up to 1.5m tall with a long slender tap root. Leaves are alternate, rough, hairy and heartshaped. They have 3 to 5 lobes and can grow to 15cm long. Flowers resemble those of the hibiscus and are usually watermelon pink, although they are sometimes white or cream in colour. They last for only one day and their flowering depends on the timing of the wet season. Seeds are contained within hairy capsules up to 8 cm long, which are tough but papery. The seeds have a sweet, flowery, heavy fragrance similar to that of musk. It can be grown in varied climate under tropical and subtropical conditions. It can be grown both as a rain fed crop and as an irrigated crop. It grows on well-drained loamy and sandy loam soils. Loamy soils with neutral pH and plenty of organic matter are ideal Review Article [Dwivedi & Argal, 6(7): July, 2015:4657-4660] CODEN (USA): IJPLCP ISSN: 0976-7126 © Sakun Publishing House (SPH): IJPLS 4659 for its cultivation (Purohit et al., 2004) It is propagated through seeds. The optimum time of sowing is JuneJuly with pre-monsoon showers. Seeds are soaked in water before sowing for 24 hours. It takes 5-7 days for proper germination. Chemical constituents The seeds are valied for the volatile oil present in the seeds. Seed analysis report 6% mucilage, 11.1 % moisture, 31.5 % crude fiber, 14.5 % lipids, 13.4 % starch, 2.3% protein, 5% resins and 0.2 to 0.6% volatile oil. Analysis of volatile oil report myricetin-3glucoside, glycoside cynadin, beta-sistosterol and betaD-glucoside (Orwa et al., 2009). The other principle components identified are farnesyl acetate (70%), 7(Z)hexadecan-16-olide, 9(Z)-octadecen-18-olide (14%), ambretolide, farnesol, dodecyl acetate and decyl acetate (Rout, 2001). A detailed investigation of the basic fraction of a CO2 extract of seeds revealed a total of 58 nitrogen containing volatile constituents. Among these are 27 pyrazine derivatives, 12 pyridins and 7 thiazoles including four natural compounds i.e., 1-(6ethyl-3-hydroxypyridin-2-yl) ethanone, 1-(3-hydroxy5,6-methylpyridin-2-yl) ethanone, 1-(3-hydroxy-6methylpyridin-2-yl) ethanone and 1-(3-hydroxy-5methylpyridin-2-yl) ethanone (Du et al., 2008). The fatty oil of seeds contains the phospholipids: 2 cephalin, phosphatidylserine and its plasmalogen and phosphatidyl choline plasmalogen. Absolute contains farnesol and ambrettolic acid lactone. bsitosterol and its bd glucosides are isolated from leaves. Petals contain b-sitosterol, flavonoid myricetin and its glucoside. Anthocyanins like cyanidin 3 sambubioside and cyanidin 3 glucoside are present in the flowers (Chopra et al., 2005). The oil from the seeds is rich in linoleic acid and contains a-cephalin, phosphatidylserine, its plasmalogen and phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen. The characteristic musk-like odor of the seed oil is mainly due to the presence of a ketone, ambrettelide, a lactone of ambrettolic acid (Rout, 2001; Wealth of India, 2001). Medicinal uses Every part of this medicinal plant is used in one or the other way. Seeds are effective aphrodisiac and antispasmodic, and used in tonics. They check vomiting and are useful in treating intestinal disorders, urinary discharge, nervous disorders, hysteria, skin diseases etc. The mucilaginous seeds are emollients and demulcents. Flower infusion is contraceptive. Different parts of the plant have uses in traditional and complementary medicine, not all of which have been scientifically proven. It is used externally to relieve spasms of the digestive tract, cramp, poor circulation and aching joints. It is also considered an insecticide and an aphrodisiac. In India, roots, leaves (rarely), and seeds of ambrette are considered valuable traditional medicines. The bitter, sweet, acrid, aromatic seeds are used as a tonic and are considered cooling, aphrodisiac, opthalmic, cardiotonic, digestive, stomachic, constipating, carminative, pectoral, diuretic, stimulant, antispasmodic, deodorant, and effective against kapha and vata, intestinal complaints, stomatitis; and diseases of the heart. According to Unani system of medicine seeds allay thirst, cure stomatitis, dyspepsia, urinary discharge, gonorrhea, leucoderma and itch. Roots and leaves are cures for gonorrhea (Orwa et al.,; Jain, 1991). Fig. 1 Abelmoschus moschatus Medik: Flowers,