Molecular and Chemical Evaluation of Aegle marmelos (L.)

Aegle marmelos L. commonly known as bael belongs to the family rutaceae, an important medicinal plant that is used in folk therapy. The fruit of this plant is a well-known remedy for diarrhea and is used in a number of formulations of traditional systems of medicine. Apart from the fruit, the leaves are the second most medicinally important part of this plant and are a part of several traditional formulations used in diabetes and ophthalmic disorder [1]. Since this plant has a great medicinal value it was thought worthwhile to the analyze the quality of its chemical characteristics. In the present investigation, the total phenolic flavonoid content was analyzed by a spectrophotometric method followed by the quantification of quercetin and umbelliferone using a HPTLC method. Since the plant was found to be a rich source of phenolic compounds, its antioxidant potential was also studied by DPPH method. The plant leaves were found to have a large variation in the content of secondary metabolites tested, hence a RAPD analysis was also performed to confirm the genetic diversity of different accessions. References: [1] Siddique NA, et al. (2010) Afr J Plant Sci, 4: 14–18.