Diversity of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats: Phytochemical Perspective Editor K. B. Rameshkumar Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute Thiruvananthapuram Title: Diversity of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats: Phytochemical Perspective Editor: K. B. Rameshkumar Published by: Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, Kerala, India ISBN No.: 978-81-924674-5-0 Printed at: Akshara Offset, Thiruvananthapuram- 695 035 Copyright © 2016: Editor and Publisher All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ii Foreword I am delighted to write a Foreword to the Book ‘Diversity of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats: Phytochemical Perspective’ edited by my student Dr. K. B. Rameshkumar who took Garcinia imberti as a subject for his doctoral studies. It gives me all the more pleasure and gratification to see that he continued with his studies on Garcinia species of the Western Ghats along with his students and colleagues. Unlike many other doctoral students, he kept alive his passion for the studies on Garcinia and the present book is the outcome of his dedicated efforts during the last one and a half decades. Pursuit of science is a passion and unravelling the subtleties of nature is an ecstasy which fulfils the inner urge for quest and discovery. The genus Garcinia is important by virtue of their reputation in traditional medicines, established pharmacological activities, diversity in chemical structures and potential nutritional properties. Despite recent progress in phytochemical and pharmacological studies on Garcinia species world over, significant gaps still exist concerning the exploration of the vast data on phytochemical diversity of Garcinia species. The present book provides a comprehensive and updated report on different aspects including distribution, conservation, morphology, chemotaxonomy, molecular taxonomy and pharmacology of Garcinia plants, with emphasis on Western Ghats species. Its specific focus on the Phytochemistry of Garcinia species is a great contribution to the lesser known subject Phytochemistry, especially in India. The authors are experts in their relevant field of research, as revealed by the contents and the in-depth presentation of individual chapters. The compiled data may provide useful clues to promote further investigations for the development of new lead molecules and value added products from Garcinia species. Furthermore, the book will give basic information on possible conservation strategies for the Western Ghats Garcinia plants. I personally am privileged to present this elegant work on ‘Phytochemistry of Garcinia species’ before the scientific community. Prof. Dr. V. George Ph.D., FRSC Director Amity Institute of Phytochemistry and Phytomedicine Thiruvananthapuram iii iv Preface The plant kingdom represents an extraordinary reservoir of molecules, that can be beneficial to mankind in several ways and currently there is a worldwide interest in the use of natural products, particularly plant derived products. The Western Ghats, one among 36 global biodiversity hotspots, harbors one of the finest tropical forests in the world. A recent enumeration has identified nearly 7500 flowering plants in the Western Ghats, of which more than 1250 are endemic to the region. Literature review revealed that nearly 80% of the endemic flowering plants of the region are hitherto uninvestigated for their chemical constituents, bioactivities or potential utilities. Garcinia species are one among such least explored group of plants, represented by 9 species and 2 varieties in the Western Ghats, of which 7 species and 2 varieties are endemic to the region. The genus Garcinia is important as a source of edible fruits, edible fats like kokum butter, oleoresin and coloring agents, the much valued anti-obesity phytochemical hydroxycitric acid (HCA) and other bioactive compounds like biflavonoids and xanthones. Due to the diversity of natural products and the presence of high value compounds, several industrial sectors like pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, paint and food additives are centred around this potential group of trees. In south India, G. gummi-gutta and G. indica are cultivated for commercial extraction of a variety of products such as bioactive acids, nutraceuticals, fats and condiments. Literature review reveals that out of the nearly 250 Garcinia species, 120 species have so far been investigated for their chemical constituents. Garcinia species are found to be rich sources of structurally diverse secondary metabolites such as xanthones, benzophenones and biflavonoids, in addition to flavonoids, biphenyls, phloroglucinols, depsidones and triterpenoids as minor constituents. Though the Western Ghats has a rich diversity of Garcinia species, only a few species are exploited sustainably for their potential utilities. The rich floristic wealth can be harvested profitably by taking advantage of the developments in phytochemical analytical techniques. Phytochemistry, being an interdisciplinary subject linked to different disciplines, the present book also includes recent research activities in the fields such as botany, pharmacology and plant biotechnology of the genus. It is expected that the effort will open new vistas of knowledge and prove to be an excellent exposition of current research efforts in India in the field of Phytochemistry. K. B. Rameshkumar v vi Acknowledgements First of all I would like to extend my profound thanks and sincere gratitude to my research guide, Dr. V. George, who introduced me to the fascinating world of plant chemistry. I am also indebted to the taxonomists of JNTBGRI for introducing me to the unexplored and fascinating world of tropical forest flora. This book is indeed the result of the scholarly inputs from different experts and I would like to extend profound gratitude to all of the authors for their sincere efforts. I also wish to acknowledge the assistance by the research students Mr. A. P. Anu Aravind and Mr. P. S. Shameer for their enduring effort during the preparation of the book. This book is produced through the financial support of Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), SRS project entitled ‘Biflavonoids from Garcinia species- Chemical, Molecular and Pharmacological Evaluation’ (No. 008/SRSPS/2011/CSTE). The support of STP Division, KSCSTE and the advice and suggestions of the experts of SRS-GMW in successful completion of the project is also thankfully acknowledged here. A special thanks to my family for their understanding and support during the time of producing this book. K. B. Rameshkumar vi vii viii Contents Page No. 1. 2. Foreword 3. 4. iii 5. 6. Preface 7. 8. v 9. Acknowledgements vii Chapters 1 Diversity of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats 1 P. S. Shameer, K. B. Rameshkumar and N. Mohanan 2 Structural diversity of secondary metabolites in Garcinia species 19 A. P. Anu Aravind, Lekshmi N. Menon and K. B. Rameshkumar 3 Phytochemical investigation of the Western Ghats endemic species Garcinia imberti 76 Bourd. K. B. Rameshkumar, Renu Pandey, Lekshmi N Menon, Brijesh Kumar and V. George 4 Phytochemical investigation of the Western Ghats endemic species Garcinia 87 travancorica Bedd. A. P. Anu Aravind, Renu Pandey, Brijesh Kumar and K. B. Rameshkumar 5 Leaf volatile chemical profiles of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats 101 K. B. Rameshkumar, A. P. Anu Aravind and Lekshmi N. Menon 6 Rapid estimation of bioactive constituents of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats 113 using UHPLC-MS/MS method Renu Pandey, Brijesh Kumar and K. B. Rameshkumar 7 Morphological, chemical and molecular taxonomy of a new Garcinia species- Garcinia 123 pushpangadaniana Sabu et al. P. S. Shameer, K. B. Rameshkumar, A. R. Sivu, T. Sabu, N. S. Pradeep and N. Mohanan 8 Diversity of Malabar Tamarind (Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) N. Robson) in the Western 132 Ghats- Morphological and phytochemical evaluation P. S. Shameer, K. B. Rameshkumar, T. Sabu and N. Mohanan 9 Phytochemicals and bioactivities of Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy- A review 142 R. Ananthakrishnan and K.B. Rameshkumar 10 Phytochemicals and bioactivities of Garcinia gummi- gutta (L.) N. Robson- A review 151 V. Anju and K.B. Rameshkumar 11 Gamboge- The bark exudate from Garcinia species 162 Siji Aral and K.B. Rameshkumar 12 Nutrient properties of important Garcinia fruits of India 170 Utpala Parthasarathy and O. P. Nandakishore 13 Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats 179 A. P. AnuAravind, T. G. Nandu, S. Shiburaj and K. B. Rameshkumar 14 Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Fukugiside- The major biflavonoid from Garcinia 187 travancorica Bedd. A. P. Anu Aravind and K. B. Rameshkumar 15 Molecular characterisation of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats 196 A. R. Sivu, N. S. Pradeep and K. B. Rameshkumar List of authors 202 ix JNTBGRI Diversity of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats: Phytochemical Perspective Chapter 1 Diversity of Garcinia species in the Western Ghats P. S. Shameer1, K. B. Rameshkumar2 and N. Mohanan1,* 1Garden Management, Education, Information and Training Division 2Phytochemistry and Phytopharmacology Division Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute Palode, Thiruvananthapuram-695562, Kerala, India * Corresponding author Abstract The Western Ghats, being one of the hotspots of biodiversity, support an enormous plant