Assessment of pharmacological activities of specialized metabolites of Withania somnifera (L.)

• Published in: South African journal of botany 2024-03, Vol.166, p.259-271
• Main Authors: Singh, Manali, Bhutani, Shivani, Dinkar, Nisha, Suyal, Deep Chandra, Perveen, Kahkashan, Bukhari, Najat A., Khanam, Mehrun Nisha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Bioactive metabolites; Withania somnifera; Withanolides
• ISSN: 0254-6299; 1727-9321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2024.01.039

•Withania somnifera is a revered herb of Indian medicinal system.•The roots and leaves of Ashwagandha contain various phytochemicals like phenols, flavnoids, quinones, steroids etc.•These phytochemicals are distributed among various tissues of this plant in varying concentrations.•Since the location and environmental factors-biotic and abiotic play a key role in the biosynthesis of the bioactive metabolites so the agro-climatic conditions are conductive for introducing and domesticating new exotic plant varieties with enhanced phytochemicals and withanolide contents.•The present study focusses on the assessment of these bioactive compounds in different commercially available varieties for the cultivation of elite germplasm in perspective of hill agriculture and sustainable development. Withania somnifera is a revered herb in the Indian medicinal system due to the presence of pharmacologically bioactive compounds. The roots and leaves of Ashwagandha contain various phytochemicals like phenols, flavonoids, quinones, steroids, etc. These phytochemicals are distributed among various tissues of this plant in varying concentrations. Since location and environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) play a key role in the biosynthesis of bioactive metabolites, the agro-climatic conditions are conducive to introducing and domesticating new exotic plant varieties with enhanced phytochemicals and withanolide contents. The present study focuses on the assessment of these bioactive compounds in different commercially available varieties for the cultivation of elite germplasm from the perspective of hill agriculture and sustainable development. In the study, total phenols were found to be highest in Jawahar-20 root, i.e., 82.714 mg/g (DW), followed by Poshita root, i.e., 64.02 mg/g (DW), while the least was found in Pratap leaf, i.e., 2.33 mg/g (DW). The concentration of total flavonoids varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 1.98 ± 0.0.01 to 80.735 ± 4.33 mg QE/g (DW). Total flavonoids were found to be highest in Jawahar-20 root, i.e., 80.735 mg/g (DW), followed by Poshita leaf, i.e., 60.02 mg/g (DW), and least in Nimithli stem, i.e., 1.98 mg/g (DW). The total tannin content varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) among the five varieties of Withania somnifera under the present study. The concentration of total tannin varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 0.691 ± 0.51 to 36.09 ± 0.61 mg TAE/g (DW). Tannins were found to be highest in Jawahar-20 root, i.e., 36.09 mg/g (DW), followed b