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DISTRIBUTION OF SECONDARY METABOLITES IN PLANTS OF QUETTA-BALOCHISTAN

SAFDAR ALI KAYANI, AYEESHA MASOOD, ABDUL KABIR KHAN ACHAKZAI AND SHAHLA ANBREEN

Abstract:  In the present study, 20 plant species from Hazarganji Chiltan National Park Quetta and 17 plant species from Wali Tangi Area, Quetta were collected. The shoots of all plant species and the roots of 7 species were oven dried and investigated for the detection and estimation of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and quantification of total phenolic contents. Out of 37, only four plant species viz., Caragana ambigua, Clematis graveolens, Juniperous excelsa and Pistacia khinjak contained all three secondary metabolites and their total phenolic contents were 440, 120, 176 and 230 µg g^-1, respectively. While, 6 plant species viz., Chrysopogon aucheri, Ferula oopoda, Fraxinus xanthoxyloides, Pennisetum orientale, Saccharum griffithii and Verbascum erianthum lack all three secondary metabolites and their total phenolic contents were between 80-500 µg g^-1. However, among the remaining 26 plant species, only Alhaji maurorum, Ampelopsis vitifolia, Ephedra intermedia, Prunus microcarpa, Rosa lacerans and Salix acmophylla contained two out of three metabolites. Results also deciphered that Euphorbia osyridea contained only saponin and Cymbopogon jwarancusa contain medium concentration of alkaloids. Whereas, 18 plants species contained only traces of alkaloids, and their phenollic contents are in the range of 120-524 µg g^-1. Moreover, roots analysis of 7 plant species viz., Erodium cicutarium, Ferula oopoda, Lactuca serriola, Nepeta preaetervisa, Peganum hermala, Saccharum griffithii and Serriphedium quettensis of Hazarganji Chiltan National Park Quetta, exhibited the absence of all three metabolites, and their total phenolic contents were very low (<113 µg g^-1).

Department of Botany, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan.