Phytochemical screening and Antimicrobial studies were carried out in a medicinally important plant species, Rauwolfia tetraphylla. The aim of the present study was to screen leaf, stem and root extracts and their callus (NaCl stressed & unstressed) extracts of R. tetraphylla (24 months old) for the qualitative analysis of phytochemicals like alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and gums and mucilages and to study antibacterial and antifungal activities in these extracts. Phytochemical screening revealed that Alkaloids are major phytochemicals in leaf, stem and root extracts of R. tetraphylla (24 months old). In antimicrobial activity studies, maximum bacterial growth inhibition zone (25.0 ± 2.4 mm) was observed in methanol based leaf extracts against Staphylococcus aureus and maximum fungal growth inhibition zone (22.0 ± 2.1 mm) was observed in Fusarium oxysporum in methanol based root extracts. In NaCl stressed callus extracts both antibacterial and antifungal activities were observed but the results were not comparable to extracts of in vivo plant based leaf, stem and roots.

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Rauwolfia tetraphylla L., is an important medicinal plant in Apocynaceae family and is recognized as an alternative source to Rauwolfia serpentina L., in terms of anti-hypertensive alkaloid production i.e. reserpine. In view of this, the present study is conducted to estimate the reserpine content in different parts (leaf, stem and root) of field grown plants (2 years old), tissue cultured plantlets (R1) (two months old) and cell suspensions cultures (two months old with and without precursor feeding) of R. tetraphylla by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. Overall maximum content of reserpine (in %) was estimated from the root samples. Roots of field grown plants has recorded high percent of reserpine (0.39%) followed by roots of tissue cultured plantlets (0.35%) and root callus based cell suspension cultures (0.38 %) which was fed with precursor amino acid (100 mg/L of tryptophan). In control type of root callus based cell suspension cultures, reserpine content was quantified as 0.14%; by precursor feeding (100 mg/L of tryptophan) it was enhanced to 0.38%. In conclusion, the reserpine content (0.35 and 0.38%) produced by the roots of tissue cultured plantlets (R1) and 100 mg/L tryptophan fed root callus based cell suspensions was comparable to that of the reserpine content (0.39%) of root parts of field grown plants. The present study demonstrates the reserpine production by in vitro cell suspension cultures throughout the year without sacrificing the medicinal plants.

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