In this study a ‘wonder plant’ Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC., which is commercially important medicinal
plant of the Fabaceae family known for its treatment in Central Nervous System disorders like Dementia,
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, etc. have been selected. Different germplasms have been collected to analyze
the phytochemical variations between them and quantify the L-DOPA in root, stem, leaves and seeds
of all the five germlines using HPLC. Along with the biochemical assays, antioxidant activity by
DPPH, phosphomolybdneum method, the metal chelating and reductive potential activity of all the
germplasms were studied. All parts of the plant have shown the presence of L-DOPA but, seeds have the
highest quantity followed by the roots, stem and leaves. Arka Shubra seeds showed high L-DOPA content
(51.9 mg/g) while the other germplasms showed L-DOPA ranging from 43-45 mg/g. Highest content of
carbohydrates (258.8 mg/g) and phenolics (157.0 mg/g) was seen in the seeds of Arka Aswini. While the
seeds and leaves of Arka Charaka showed high protein (332.2 mg/g) and flavonoid (10.2 mg/g) content,
respectively. High proline (1.74 mg/g) was observed in the seeds of Arka Shubra. Antioxidant studies
revealed that Arka Charaka and Arka Daksha to be having high reductive power and free radical
scavenging activity by phosphomolybdate method while high metal chelating activity was observed
in Arka Aswini (88.7%) and high antioxidant activity by DPPH method was seen in Arka Shubra
(86.5%).
Cellulose obtained from plants is a bio‐polysaccharide and the most abundant organic polymer on earth that has immense household and industrial applications. Hence, the characterization of cellulose is important for determining its appropriate applications. In this article, we review the characterization of cellulose morphology, surface topography using microscopic techniques including optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Other physicochemical characteristics like crystallinity, chemical composition, and thermal properties are studied using techniques including X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. This review may contribute to the development of using cellulose as a low‐cost raw material with anticipated physicochemical properties.
Highlights
Morphology and surface topography of cellulose structure is characterized using microscopy techniques including optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy.
Analytical techniques used for physicochemical characterization of cellulose include X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.