Impact of elevation and soil characteristics on phytochemical constituents and antioxidant potential of Berberis aristata and Berberis asiatica

Species of Berberis have been used for a long time in traditional medicine, especially in the treatment of diarrhea, fever, and ophthalmic problems. The therapeutic potential of these species is attributed to the presence of various phytochemicals. The present study aims to analyze the impact of elevation and soil properties on phytochemical constituents and antioxidant potential of methanolic bark extracts of Berberis asiatica and Berberis aristata. Quantitative estimation of total phenol content (34.13±4.3 to 59.96±1.2 mg GAE/g DW) was found to increase with increasing elevation for both species. In contrast, total flavonoid content (31.69±2.4 to 27.24±1.2 mg QE/g DW) and antioxidant potential (IC50; 79.26±0.9 to 102.97±2.3 µg/mL) in both species of Berberis were found to decrease with increasing elevation. Semi-quantitative estimation of Berberine content (0.76±0.01 to 0.95±0.02 mg/g DW), also showed a similar trend. The soil parameters including moisture and total NPK content were studied for the samples collected from the same sites used for plant sample collection. All soil parameters also increased with increasing elevation. The increase in soil moisture and NPK content showed an increase in total phenol content but a decrease in berberine and total flavonoid content for both species of Berberis. Overall, the outcome of the present study reveals the impact of elevational gradients and soil characteristics on phytochemical content and antioxidant potential in two species of Berberis.