We have analyzed 7,137 samples from 125 different caste, tribal and religious groups of India and 99 samples from three populations of Nepal for the length variation in the COII/tRNA^Lys region of mtDNA. Samples showing length variation were subjected to detailed phylogenetic analysis based on HVS-I and informative coding region sequence variation. The overall frequencies of the 9-bp deletion and insertion variants in South Asia were 1.9 and 0.6%, respectively. We have also defined a novel deep-rooting haplogroup M43 and identified the rare haplogroup H14 in Indian populations carrying the 9-bp deletion by complete mtDNA sequencing. Moreover, we redefined haplogroup M6 and dissected it into two well-defined subclades. The presence of haplogroups F1 and B5a in Uttar Pradesh suggests minor maternal contribution from Southeast Asia to Northern India. The occurrence of haplogroup F1 in the Nepalese sample implies that Nepal might have served as a bridge for the flow of eastern lineages to India. The presence of R6 in the Nepalese, on the other hand, suggests that the gene flow between India and Nepal has been reciprocal.

The trade in Phyllanthus material as bulk herb is rampant and mainly involves herbaceous species such as Phyllanthus amarus, P. fraternus, P . debilis and P. urinaria. These species are very important in herbal medicines and have varied activities. In India these species grow sympatrically and there are chances of deliberate or ignorant adulteration of crude drugs, lowering the efficiency of the medication for its intended purpose. Secondly, incorrect identification may also lead to erroneous reports on activities/molecules. To overcome this problem in crude drug (dry leaf powder) and compliment morphological identification in live plant, we have developed SCAR markers for all four species. In each species, we selected one fragment as being monomorphic between accessions but differing in size between species. These species-specific fragments were selected, cloned and sequenced. Based on the sequences, primer pairs were designed and amplification conditions standardized. SCAR markers were isolated from population DNA amplification profiles and validated by sequencing. The species-specific SCAR primers could retrieve the same size and sequence of fragments as in the RAPD profile. These fragments are 1150 bp, 317 bp, 980 bp and 550 bp in size for P. amarus, P. fraternus, P. debilis and P. urinaria, respectively. Additional fragments in P. debilis and P. urinaria indicate different alleles. The retrieval of same size and sequence of species-specific unique SCAR markers from the respective accessions (mixed DNA sample of same accessions) indicates the usefulness to study natural hybridization between the species in addition to adulteration.

ABSTRACT. The genus Swertia is well known for its medicinal properties, as described in the Indian pharmacopoeia. Different members of this genus, although somewhat similar in morphology, differ widely in their pharmacological and therapeutic properties. The most important species of this genus, with maximal therapeutic properties, is S. chirayita, which is often adulterated with other lesspotent Swertia spp. There is an existing demand in the herbal drug industry for an authentication system for Swertia spp, in order to enable their commercial use as genuine phytoceuticals. To this end, we used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to produce DNA fingerprints for six Swertia species. Nineteen accessions (2 of S. chirayita, 3 of S. angustifolia, 2 of S. bimaculata, 5 of S. ciliata, 5 of S. cordata, and 2 of S. alata) were used in the study, which employed 64 AFLP selective primer pairs. Only 46 selective primer pairs were found to be useful for all the accessions. A total of 5312 fragments were produced by these 46 primer pairs. Species-specific markers were identified for all six Swertia species (131 for S. chirayita, 19 for S. angustifolia, 181 for S. bimaculata, 47 for S. ciliata, 94 for S. cordata, and 272 for S. alata). These AFLP fingerprints of the Swertia species could be used to authenticate drugs made with Swertia spp and to resolve adulteration-related problems faced by the commercial users of these herbs.

The members of the Liliaceae family are considered an excellent source of biologically active compounds. However, work on antimicrobial potential and characterization of the bioactive fractions of the Lilium philadelphicum flower is limited and needs to be explored. The present study reports the antimicrobial potential of the bioactive fraction extracted from the flower of L. philadelphicum (red lily) and partial characterization of the bioactive compound(s). The antimicrobial activity was tested against nine different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of methanolic extract of the L. philadelphicum flower against Acinetobacter bouvetii, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121, Candida albicans MTCC 183, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 3384, and Salmonella typhi MTCC 537 were 25, 50, 12.5, 50, 100, and 50 μg/mL, respectively. The phytochemical analysis of the extract revealed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, coumarins, and quinones. The cytotoxicity of the partially purified compound against the HepG2 cell line using MTT assay demonstrated up to 90% cell viability with a bioactive compound concentration of 50 μg/mL. However, the increase in the bioactive compound’s concentration up to 1000 μg/mL resulted in nearly 80% cell viability. This minor decline in cell viability suggests the importance and suitability of the bioactive compound for therapeutic applications. Spectroscopic studies of the bioactive compound by UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), as well as phytochemical analysis, suggested the presence of a terpenoid moiety, which may be responsible for the antimicrobial property of the L. philadelphicum flower.

The members of the Liliaceae family have been regarded as an excellent source of biologically active compounds. However, the work on antimicrobial potential and characterization of the bioactive fractions of Lilium philadelphicum flower is limited and needs to be explored. The present study reports the antimicrobial potential, anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential of the bioactive fraction extracted from the flower of L. philadelphicum (Red Lily) and characterization of these bioactive compounds. The antimicrobial activity was tested against nine different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of methanolic extract of L. philadelphicum flower against Acinetobacter bouvetii, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121, Candida albicans MTCC 183, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 3384, and Salmonella typhi MTCC 537 were 25, 50, 12.5, 50, 100 and 50 μg mL-1, respectively. The phytochemical analysis of the extract reveals the presence of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, coumarins, and quinones. The cytotoxicity of the partially purified compound against the HepG2 cell line in MTT assay demonstrates up to 90% cell viability with a bioactive compound concentration of 50 μg/ml. However, with the increase in bioactive compound concentration up to 1000 μg/ml results into nearly 80% cell viability, just a minor decline in cell viability suggests the importance of bioactive compounds for suitable therapeutic applications. Spectroscopic studies of the bioactive compound by UV-Visible spectroscopy, FT-Infra Red spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) as well as its phytochemical analysis suggests the presence of terpenoids moiety, responsible for the antimicrobial property of L. philadelphicum flower.