Quantitative Estimation of Alkaloids and Flavonoids in Wild and Cultivated Varieties of Rauvolfia Serpentina

This study is a quantitative assessment of the alkaloid and flavonoid content of the wild and cultivated varieties of a well-known and richly endowed medicinal plant, Rauvolfia Serpentina. Total alkaloids, specific indole alkaloids (reserpine, rescinnamine and ajmaline), and total flavonoids were determined by standardized field sampling, solvent extracts, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and UHPLC of roots and leaves in 15 wild and 15 cultivated plants. Metabolite Profiles Thin-Layer chromatography (TLC) was used as qualitative confirmation of metabolite profiles. Findings demonstrated that all targeted compounds were more concentrated in wild plants and extract yields were greater in those plants than in cultivated ones. Soil analysis identified that there was a high positive relationship between organic matter and amount of metabolites and a negative relationship between soil pH, which shows that acidic and organic rich soils support the production of secondary metabolites. Two-way ANOVA indicated that the condition of growth and type of tissue had significant effects on the levels of phytochemicals, and the effect of the interaction between them was moderate, whereas PCA allowed the differentiation of wild and cultivated samples by high loadings of reserpine, rescinnamine, and total alkaloids. These discoveries establish the importance of wild R. serpentina population ecologically and agronomically and such reflection of improvement lends scientific support to sustainable harvesting, better cultivation processes through replication of wild traits and quality in herbal medicinal which is drug manufacturing process.