Microscopic Features and Preliminary Thin Layer Chromatography of “Thanh ngam” (Picria fel-terrae Lour. ex Wall) Collected in Viet Nam

Abstract

Picria fel-terrae Lour. ex Wall (Scrophulariaceae), commonly known as "Thanh ngam", "Mat dat", "Dia dom thao" in Viet Nam, is a medicinal plant that has long been used in Vietnamese traditional medicine to treat anorexia, snake bite wound and help gastrointestinal irritation, sweating. 1,2 In Chinese traditional medicine, Picria fel-terrae Lour. ex Wall is used to treat common cold cause by wind-heat, swollen sore throat, throat impediment, mumps, pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, dysentery, injuries from falls and fights, deep-rooted boil and swelling, bite wound of a viper. Some chemical constituents found in this medicinal plant include triterpenoids, 3 phenylpropanoid glycosides, β-sitosterol 4 and some of its biological activities include diuretic 5 and cytotoxic activities. 6 This study provides a database on microscopic features and thin layer chromatogram of Picria fel-terrae Lour. ex Wall to identify the pharmacognostic parameters of Picria fel-terrae Lour. ex Wall. Materials and Methods Plant material The fresh plant of "Thanh ngam" was collected in Lao Cai, Viet Nam in October 2016. The morphologic features of the sample were described and compared to Flora of China in order to identify the scientific name. Microscopic features The transverse section of stem and powder characteristics of Picria felterrae Lour. ex Wall was described and illustrated. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) The methanol extract of Picria fel-terrae Lour. ex Wall was developed using some mobile phases of different solvent polarities.