Preliminary GC-MS profiling of Bhallataka Oil

 

Dr Anu Ruhila¹, Dr Anupam Srivastava², Dr Pramod Yadav³, Dr. Galib R.⁴, Prof. (Dr) Pradeep Kumar Prajapati⁵

¹Technical Assistant to Editor, Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi-26.

²Director, Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi-26.

³Assistant Professor, Department of RSBK, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi-76.

⁴Associate Professor, Department of RSBK, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi-76.

⁵Professor and HOD, Department of RSBK, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi-76.

 

ABSTRACT:

Bhallataka (Semecarpus anacardium Linn.) is one of the herbs used traditionally for treatment, since age old period in various systems of medicine. Ayurveda literatures are available with various dosage forms of Bhallataka. An attempt made to detect chemical constituents present in the crude oil of Bhallataka through GC-MS. Phyto-constituents like Hexadecanoic acid, Octadecadienoic acid, Oleic Acid, 7-Tetradecene, Docosanoic acid, docosyl esteretc observed in Bhallataka Oil. These all have already been reported in previous studies.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Medicinal plants are enriched with various bioactive components such as alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds etc. which are highly beneficial in maintaining good health and are being used since ages. These chemical active substances produce certain physiological action(s) on human body. But, there is an unstoppable increase in continuous exposure to harmful chemicals, unhealthy lifestyle, environmental pollutants etc. leading to various diseases among human. In such scenario, medicinal plants have become an integral part of healthcare system throughout the world and they are of great importance to the health of individual and communities. Bhallataka (Semecarpus anacardium Linn.) is one of the herbs used traditionally for treatment since age old period in various systems of medicine. Ayurveda literatures are available with various dosage forms of Bhallataka such as Churna, Kalka, Ksheerpaka, Taila etc.

 

Bhallataka Taila (Oil) is indicated in various disorders such as Medoroga (Lipid disorders), Meha (Diabetes), Krimi (worm infestation), Kustha (skin disorders), Arsha (Haemorrhoids), Shukra Roga and Kapha Roga¹. There are more than 135 studies published on Bhallataka and its various extracts screening pharmacological activities like Anti-inflammatory, Anthelmintic, Anti-oxidant, Immunomodulatory, Anticancerous, Hypoglycemic activity etc. The present study has been undertaken to investigate the phytochemical constituents present in the Hexane extract of Bhallataka oil (BO) through Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is an analytical method that combines the features of gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. Gas chromatography (GC) is an analytical technique for separating and identifying chemical substances, based on differences in their intermolecular forces and their volatilities.

 

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Collection of Raw materials:

Matured fruits of Bhallataka were collected from the trees growing in the Jalana district of Maharashtra, India, in the month of April, 2017. Fresh and Prashasta (acceptable) as described in Charak Samhita². Prashasta Bhallataka fruits were collected and placed in a wooden box filled with Yavarashi (Barley) and lined with fodder on inner side and kept closed for four months for the process of curing (Kala-Prakarsh). The cured Bhallataka fruits were taken out from Yavarashi. The cured Bhallataka fruits were subjected to cut-off the dried pseudo-carp for opening of the mouth. The chopped Bhallataka fruits were placed in the upper vessel of Patala Yantra³, and the mouth of the vessel was covered with an iron mesh. The lower vessel was attached to it and Sandhi-bandhana was done using Kapadamittti process and it was allowed to dry under sun light. The whole arrangement was then placed in a pit of size 6×6×5.2 inches (L×B×H) and cowdung cakes were placed over it. The fire was ignited and the oil was then allowed to extract out of the fruits. After the completion of process, the oil was collected in a clean vessel.

 

GC-MS analysis of Bhallataka Oil:

The hexane-extracted BO was taken for GC-MS analysis. The Gas chromatography– Mass spectroscopy (Agilant 7890/Jeol Accu TOF GCV) was used to carry out the analysis. The study was conducted at SAIF, IIT Bombay.

 

RESULT:

The contents in Bhallataka Oil (BO) sample using GC-MS analysis shows the presence of total 30 peaks of related identified components (Table 1).

 

Table1.  Showing presence of compounds in GC-MS Analysis of Hexane extract of Bhallataka Taila

 

 

DISCUSSION:

GC-MS analysis of Bhallataka Oil has shown various compounds of highly complex nature. Total 30 chemical compounds are detected in the sample studied. However, the activities of very few compounds can be interpreted from previous researches carried out on Semecarpus anacardium. GC-MS studies elucidated Phenol, Undecane, Napthalene, Pyrazole-5-Carboxylic acid, Hexadecanoic acid, Octadecadienoic acid, Oleic Acid, 7-Tetradecene, Docosanoic acid, docosyl ester etc in Bhallataka Oil. These compounds have been reported for various activities related to human health. This study could be utilised as a base for further Medical research in investigating new molecules to be used in various ailments. Absence of urushiol, a toxic compound in raw Bhallataka shows the nontoxic feature of test sample and support the use as internal medicine by human.⁴ The compound phenol has been reported to have anti-oxidant activity⁵, anti-pyurvetic activity⁶ and anti-cancer activity⁷. Many scholarly researches and articles have been published illustrating the anti-cancer potential of Bhallataka. The administration of aqueous extract of nuts of the Bhallataka in AKR mouse liver during the development of lymphoma led to an increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, whereas LDH activity decreased significantly, indicating a decrease in carcinogenesis⁸. The S. anacardium nut extract was found to be effective in regulating the key enzymes (significant drop in the activity of glycolytic enzymes [hexokinase, phosphoglu-coisomerase and aldolase] and a concomitant elevation in the gluconeogenic enzymes [glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose 1, 6-diphosphatase]) related to carbohydrate metabolism in dimethyl benzanthracene-induced mammary carcinoma in Sprague-Dawley rats⁹. The compound Phenol, 4-methyl has been reported to possess potent antifungal property, which is more active against gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative¹⁰. In one the studies conducted on S. anacrdium, the alcoholic extract of dry nuts showed dose dependent antifungal activity in vitro against Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. At 400 mg/ml concentration, the growth of both fungi was inhibited and considerable reduction in size of cells, hyphae, and reduced sporulation was also observed¹¹. The compound Hexadecane, 1-(ethyloxy) has been reported to have antibacterial activity against Gram +ve and Gram-ve bacteria¹². The compound Octadecane,6-methyl has been reported to have cytotoxic effect, antimicrobial activity¹³. An Ayurvedic preparation of S. anacardium called “Bhallatakasava” was shown to have antibacterial activity against tetanus causing microorganism¹⁴.The compound Oleic Acid possesses cancer-preventive¹⁵, hypocholesterolemic¹⁶, percutaneostimulant¹⁷ properties. In one of the researches the administration of S. anacardium nut shell extract to cholesterol fed rabbits resulted in a significant reduction in serum cholesterol (-73.3%) and serum LDL-Cholestrol (-80%). The extract feeding also prevented the accumulation of cholesterol/triglycerides in liver, heart muscle and aorta and caused a regression of plaques (75.3-83.5%). These results indicate that S. anacardium is hypocholesterolemic in action and prevents cholesterol induced atheroma¹⁸. Thus, it is important to carryout studies to generate relevant evidence to understand and establish the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of the compounds isolated from the Bhallataka oil.

 

CONCLUSION:

Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy analysis showed the existence of various compounds with variable chemical structures. The analysis of the compounds present in the samples suggest that Bhallataka oil may also possesses antioxidant, antipyretic, antifungal, cytotoxic, antimicrobial and anticancer properties. Hence, these potent drugs can be further utilized for in-vitro, in-vivo studies for various pharmacological studies.

 

REFERENCE:

1.     Kaydev, Kaydev Nighantu, Sharma PV, Guru Prasad Sharma, 1st edition, Varanasi: Chaukhambha oriental. 1979. P90-91.p.

2.     Agnivesha, Charaka Samhita with Ayurveda Dipika commentary, Revised by Charaka and Dridbala of Chakrapanidutt, Edited by YadavjiTrikamjiAcharya, Reprint edition 2011, Published by, ChaukhambaPrakashan, Varanasi, ChikitsaSthana 1-2/13, page 382.

3.     Yogi B, Rasarnava, 12/21-22, 4th edn, edited by Tripathi I (Chaowkhambha Sanskrit Series office, Varanasi), 2001, 174.

4.     Ilanchezhian R, Acharya RN, Roshy JC, Shukla VJ. Impact of Ayurvedic Shodhana (purificatory procedures) on bhallataka fruits (Semecarpusanacardium Linn) by measuring the anacardol content. GJRMI 2012; 1:286-94.

5.     Velioglu, Y.S., Mazza, G., Gao, L., Oomah, B.D., 1998. Antioxidant activity and total phenolics in selected fruits, vegetables, and grain products. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 46 (10), 4113 – 4117.

6.     Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983.Phytochemical Dictionary.A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants.Taylor& Frost, London. 791 pp

7.     Stitt, P. A. Why George Should Eat Broccoli. Dougherty Co, Milwaukee, WI, 1990, 399 pp

8.     Verma N, Vinayak M. Semecarpusanacardium nut extract promotes the antioxidant defence system and inhibits anaerobic metabolism during development of lymphoma. Bioscience reports. 2009 Jun 1;29(3):151-64.

9.     Sachdanandam, P. and Sujatha, V. 2001. Potential antineoplastic property of Semecarpusanacardium L. nut milk extract in terms of immunoglobulin levels studied in mammary carcinoma, British Pharmaceutical Conference 2001 Abstract Book: 123

10.  David, P.E. and Patrick, J.C. (2012). Antimicrobial preservatives Part Two: Choosing a preservative. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Callum Consultancy.

11.  Sharma, K., Shukla, S.D., Mehta, P. and Bhatnagar, M. 2002.Fungistatic activity of Semecarpusanacardium Linn.nut extract. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 40(3): 314-318.

12.  Nurettin, Y., Canan, G., Osman, U., Ahmet, Y., Serdar, U., Kamil, C., and Salih, T., (2006). Composition and antimicrobial activities of volatile components of Minuaritiameyeri. Turk, J. Chem., 30; 70-76.

13.  Hsouna, A.B., Trigie, M., Mansour, R.B., Jarraya, R.M., Damak, M., and Jaoua, S., (2011). Chemical composition, cytotoxicity effect and antimicrobial activity of Ceratoniasilisqua essential oil with preservative effects against listeria inoculated in minced beef meat. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 148(1), 66-72.

14.  Kulkarani CG, Ravetkar SD, Kulkarni PN. Antibacterial properties of ayurvedicprepartions “Bhallatakasava” and “SukshmaTriphala”. Deerghayu International. 1995; 11:3-5.

15.  Stitt, P. A. Why George Should Eat Broccoli. Dougherty Co, Milwaukee, WI, 1990, 399 pp

16.  Spiller, G. A. 1996 (Spiller, G. A. Ed. 1996.CRC Handbook of Lipids in Human Nutrition.CRC Press. Boca Raton, FL. 233 pp.)

17.  Seki, T., Toeda, C., Kawaguchi, T., Juni, K., Sugibayashi, K., and Morimoto, Y. 1990.Enhanced Transdermal Delivery of Zidovudine in Rats and Human Skin. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 38(11): 3086-3089, 1990.

18.  Sharma A, Mathur R, Dixit VP. Hypocholesterolemic activity of nut shell extract of Semecarpusanacardium (Bhilawa) in cholesterol fed rabbits. Indian journal of experimental biology. 1995 Jun;33(6):444-8.

 

 

Received on 09.12.2020                    Modified on 16.01.2021

Accepted on 09.02.2021                   ©AJRC All right reserved