Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, 560 089
Estimation of serpentine in roots of Catharanthus roseus by extension of the method of estimation of ajmalicine is described. The method involves extraction of total alkaloids at pH 11.5 after extraction for ajmalicine at pH 6.4 and subsequent estimation of serpentine by quantitative TLC and absorbance measurement at 308 nm. The serpentine content of a number of root samples estimated by the method was in accordance with the values obtained by standard methods.
