Macroscopic and microscopic identification of Thai herb

Botanical pharmacognosy of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. F.) Wall. Ex. Nees

Sudhakaran MV
Department of Drug Standardisation, Government Ayurveda College,
Thiruvananthapuram-695 001, Kerala, India
Submission Date: 9-5-2012; Review Completed: 30-5-2012; Accepted Date: 19-7-2012
Objective
Pharmacognostical Profile

botanical pharmacognosy

Introduction
Acanthaceae
Kalmegh King of Bitters
aerial


(febrifuge), bitter tonic, (stomachic),
(flatulence), (wounds), (ulcers), (skin diseases),
(leprosy), (diarrhea), (dysentery), anthelmintic cardiotonic
26 hepatostimulant
/hepatoprotective agent. diterpene lactone,
Andrographolide.

(phytochemical), (pharmacological),
(microbiological), (physiological), (genetics) seed germination.
Pharmacognosy



Materials and method
Material
Andrographis paniculata was collected from the forest areas of Medak District of the State of
Andhra Pradesh. Plants collected were authenticated by comparing with appropriate voucher specimens at
the herbaria in Department of Botany, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and also were
compared with major published literature.13,14 Plant specimens were prepared into Herbarium (Earle Smith
C. Jr., 1971) and were deposited at Department of Botany, Osmania University,Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Plant Material

Figure 1. Andrographis paniculata Nees

 A) Mature seeds B) Leaves C) Aerial parts with mature and immature capsule; D) Flower buds
E) Entire flower F) Mature Fruit (Photo courtesy: Ankita kataky, 2010).
1-1.5 m :
: simple, opposite, lanceolate, glabrous 5-8 cm 1-2 cm
: (terminal) (axillary panicle) :
: 5-partite, pubescent. (Corolla): (bilabiate), hairy upper lip oblong,
lower lip 3-lobed. : 2 throat 2-celled : capsule, linearoblong,two celled,
compressed, longitudinally furrowed on broad faces, acute at both ends, glandular-hairy. :
610 : cylindrical 520 cm
1.55 cm
Table Morphological characters of Andrographis paniculata.

Plant height 30110 cm

Stem Dark green
Length 30100 cm
Diameter 26 mm
Shape Quadrangular with longitudinal furrows and wings on the angles of the
young parts, slightly enlarged at the nodes
Leaves Glabrous
Length 212 cm
 Width 13 cm
Arrangement Lanceolate
Shape Pinnate, acute apex, entire margin
Flowers White with rose-purple spots on the petals
Size Small, in lax spreading axillary and terminal racemes or panicles
Seed Capsules linear-oblong, acute at both ends
Size 1.9 cm 0.3 cm
Color Yellowish brown
Shape Subquadrate, numerous
Flowering and fruiting December to April

Methods
Thiruvananthapuram District of the State of Kerala
Flora of Presidency of Madras. transverse, tangential, radial paradermal sections
Drug Standardization Laboratory
of the Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram. Microphotographs sections
Olympus (model CX 41; Tokyo, Japan) CCD 2 mega pixel
Olympus Image-Pro Plus, version 5.1 software
epidermis
Aqueous Safranin 1% glycerin fluorescence UV light (256 nm
& 366 nm) Camang UV apparatus Hickey Meltcalfe and Chalk
and Carlquist. micrograph
scale-bars. intercostal fresh leaves Number
of epidermis cells, stomatal number, stomatal index/mm2 cleared leaves Salisbury
vein islet number, vein termination. Palisade ratio Wallis Guard Cell
Area (GCA) Francos formula fluorescence crude drug
HPLC/Chromatographic Grade Merck and Qualigens Fine Chemicals, India
Results and discussion
Microscopic Evaluation of Leaves

Figure 2. T.S. of Lamina with midrib ( 4).

Figure 2a. T.S. of Lamina of Andrographis paniculata Nees ( 10).

Figure 2b. T.S. of Lamina of Andrographis paniculata Nees ( 40).

microphyll 5.3 cm 1.2 cm.

T.S. ()
(Figure 2). (Figure 2a). epidemics,
collenchyma, mesophyll vascular tissues. Collenchymatous hypodermis 78 layers.
chlorenchyma zone 23 layers hypodermis parenchymatous
ground tissues. xylem ground tissue Xylem vessels (3035 m in
diameter) 5-6 phloem lies abaxal (lower epidermis)
epidermis uniseriate ( )
Cuticle upper epidermis lower epidermis. mesophyll
upper palisade lower spongy tissues (Figure 2a) palisade columnar
Chloroplasts palisade 2 3 Spongy
parenchyma cells spongy mesophyll
(Figure 2b).
Epidermal Characters

Figure 3. Surface features of abaxial epidermis with stomata ( 40).

Figure 3a. Surface features of abaxial epidermis with stomata and cystoliths ( 10).
 Figure 3b. Surface features of adaxial epidermis with cystoliths ( 10).

Figure 3c. Surface features of adaxial epidermis: portion enlarged ( 40).

upper lower epidemis cystoliths (Figure 3a & 3b)

38.9 micron 16.5 micron (ranges 31.646.6 m in length 13.919.2 m in
width) adaxial (upper) epidermis (Figure 3b & 3c) abaxial (lower) epidermis
diacytic stomata (Figure 3 & 3a)
16.9 m 8.2 m (GCA) 107.3 m2 abaxial
(lower) stomata square millimeterarea 172.1 (Table 1) abaxial epidermal cells square
millimeter area leaf 1110.9 stomatal index lower surface 13.4
 Petiole

Figure 4. T.S. of Petiole of Andrographis paniculata Nees ( 4).

cross sectional view adaxial (upper)
(Figure 4). chlorenchyma zone 23 layers epidermis parenchymatous
ground tissues. vascular bundles 1516 ground
tissue. vascular ground tissues Xylem vessels 5-6
phloem lies abaxal side (lower) adaxial (upper)
epidermal cells non-glandular trichomes Trichomes uniseriate 3-celled.
Venation Pattern

Figure 5. Cleared leaf of Andrographis paniculata Nees showing areoles, vein-islets and vein termination ( 2).
 Figure 5a. Cleared leaf of Andrographis paniculata Nees showing venation of the leaf margin ( 2).
taxon
terminology architecture Hickey
(x2) eucamptodromous pinnate venation areolation
0.97-1.07 mm areoles terminal vein-endings
minor venation pattern viz vein islet number/mm2 0.756 Veinlets
termination number/mm2 0.864 areoles 1.02 mm
areoles/mm2 0.324 microscopic
Microscopic Evaluation of Stem

Figure 6. T.S. of stem of Andrographis paniculata Nees ( 4).

 Figure 6a. T.S. of stem of Andrographis paniculata Nees ( 10).

Figure 6c. T.S. of stem of Andrographis paniculata Nees: a portion enlarged ( 10).

Figure 6d. R.L.S of stem of Andrographis paniculata Nees showing pits in alternate position ( 40).
 T.S () 4 collenchyma
(Figure 6) epidermis collenchymas cell zone
2-3 epidermis secretary cavities cortex
56 layers parenchyma cell chloroplast sclereids sclereids 4-6
cortex Endodermis parenchyma chloroplastid.
sclereids secondary phloem tissues Xylem
vessels Vessels
vessel lumen 18.3-35.8 m. vessels
square millimeter xylem 393.8 (ranges 419.8 to 345.4). xylem fibers
Medullary rays Rays uniseriate ( )
biseriate rays ( ) pith parenchymatous cells
pith calcium oxalate (Figure 6a)
Microscopic Evaluation of Root

Figure 7. T.S. of root of Andrographis paniculata Nees ( 4).

Figure 7a. T.S. of root of Andrographis paniculata Nees: a portion enlarged ( 10).
 cork 810 layers (Figure 7) Outer 23 layers
67 layers parenchyma cork has numerous
sclereids aligned in more or less a ring (Figure 7a) pit apertures 2.17 m
vessels Vessels
vessel radial multiples four
vessel lumen 12.61 - 39.6 m. vessels square millimeter
wood 417.4 (ranges 389.8 to 425.4). Tylosis
fibers (Figure 7f). Medullary rays Medullary rays
uniseriate ( ) biseriate ( ) (Figure 7c). xylem vessels
calcium oxalate (Figure 7d) 7.4-11.6 m 24.742.2 m
Radial longitudinal section vessel vessel pitting pit 2.69
m

Figure 7c. T.S. of root of Andrographis paniculata Nees: central portion enlarged ( 10).

Figure 7d. R.L.S. of root showing crystals in xylem vessels ( 10).

Figure 7e. R.L.S. of root of Andrographis paniculata showing pits in alternate positions ( 40).

Figure 7f. R.L.S. of root of Andrographis paniculata Nees showing fibres ( 40).

Powder Microscopy

Figure 8. Powder microscopy of stem showing cystoliths in parenchymatous cells ( 10).

 Figure 8b. Powder microscopy of root- vessel elements ( 40).

Figure 8c. Powder microscopy of root showing prismatic crystals ( 10).

Figure 8d. Powder microscopy of root-Fibre ( 40).

 Figure 8f. Powder microscopy of leaf showing lamina ( 10).

Figure 8g. Powder microscopy of leaf showing stomata ( 40).

Figure 8h. Powder microscopy of stem showing parenchyma cells ( 40).

 microscopic
fragments leaf epidermis diacytic stomata (Figure 8g) large cystoliths upper
lower epidermis (Figure 8 and 8f) Stem root powder pyramidal calcium oxalate crystals (Figure
8c).Vessel bordered pits intervessel pitting (Figure 8b)
lignified fibers (Figure 8d) parenchymatous tissues cortex (Figure 8h)

1- Matured erect branched plant; 2- Flower lobes showing pigmentation; 3- Dark purple anther;
4- Fruits; 5- Golden brown seeds; 6- T.S. of stem; 7- T.S. of root; 8-Stained and unstained
pollen grains; 9- Metaphase I (Datta Kumar, 2012).
Conclusions
botanical pharmacognosy of Andrographis paniculata
parameter crude drugs macro, microscopic, powder, quantitative
fluorescence standards parameter

3
Sudhakaran MV Kumar RS Elumalai S
Macroscopic
Microscopic - -
Leaves -
Petiole - -
Venation Pattern - -
Stem -
root -

1. Sudhakaran MV. Botanical pharmacognosy of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. F.) Wall. Ex. Nees.
Pharmacognosy Journal. 2012 Nov 1;4(32):1-0.
2. Kumar RS, Reddy PR, Rao SG, Nethaji K. Botanical Pharmacognosy on the Leaves of Medicinally
Important Plant Andrographis paniculata (nees) Collected from the Forest Area of Medak District, Andhra
Pradesh, India.
3. Elumalai S, Banupriya R, Asngeetha T, Madhumathi S. Review on phytopharmacological activities of
andrographis paniculata (burm. F) need.