Bioassay of Phyllanthin and Hypophyllanthin by Hptlc in Phyllanthus Amarus Schum & Th. (Euphorbiaceae) Growing Under In Vivo and In Vitro Conditions

The present investigation is related to Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Th. (Euphorbiaceae) which is one of the most widely used drug in Ayurvedic medicine to cure liver diseases. It contains two important lignans: (i) phyllanthin and (ii) hypophyllanthin, which are responsible for its antiviral activity. The present market demands of the herb needs increased production of the secondary bioactive metabolites which can be achieved by medicinal biotechno logical methods. Thus, an effort was aimed to bioassay, (i) Phyllanthin and (ii) Hypophyllanthin under (I) in vivo conditions in different organs (root, stem and leaf) of plant in 3 0 days old and 90 days old crop and (II) in vitro grown in 10 weeks old friable callus and 10, 11 and 12 weeks old compact calli by HPTLC method. This is the first report of callus culture of P. amarus that successfully produced phyllanthin. Phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin have also been detected in roots of the in vivo grown plants. Optimum amount of phyllanthin in 10 weeks old friable callus appeared in MS basal medium with BAP (1 mg/1), which is most suitable culture media for growth of callus and phyllanthin production.