@article {1515, title = {Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Analysis of Brassica juncea Seeds}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {6}, year = {2014}, month = {2nd July 2014}, pages = {47-54}, type = {Original Article}, abstract = {

Introduction:Brassica juncea is an economically important plant that has been well-known in India for centuries for its medicinal and nutritive values. The broad spectrum of beneficial effects of the seeds perceived with this plant warrants further exploration of B. juncea seeds as a potential source for obtaining pharmacologically standardized phytotherapeutics, which could be potentially useful. The objective of the present study was to perform the pharmacognosy of mustards seeds inclusive of qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis, fingerprinting by infrared spectroscopy and high performance thin layer chromatography analysis and toxicity assessment in vitro. Methods: Different sections of seeds were taken and stained with 0.1\% phloroglucinol for microscopic examination. The seeds were extracted by 80\% alcohol on a rotary shaker to perform phytochemical analysis and fingerprinting. The toxicity assessment of this extract was performed on human dermal fibroblast cells. Results: Microscopic examination of seeds showed characteristic features of mustard seeds. The extraction of these seeds by 20\% alcohol resulted in IC50 value of 103 \± 3 \μg/mL for 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl radical scavenging assay. The fingerprinting analysis of this extract indicated probable presence of sinigrin, quercetin, vanillin, catechin, vitamin E and sulfur-containing compounds. This extract exhibited 50\% toxicity (IC50) at 1.79 mg/mL. Conclusion: The result achieved will be used to assess the therapeutic efficacy of seed extracts for future pharmacological evaluations.

Key words: Antioxidant, cytotoxicity, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high performance thin layer chromatography, microscopy, phenolics.

}, keywords = {Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, High performance Thin layer Chromatography, microscopy, Phenolics}, author = {Harita Parikh and Aparna Khanna} }