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Application of anatomy and HPTLC in characterizing species of Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae)

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Abstract

The edible tubers from different species of Dioscorea are a major source of food and nutrition for millions of people. Some of the species are medicinally important but others are toxic. The genus consists of about 630 species of almost wholly dioecious plants, many of them poorly characterized. The taxonomy of Dioscorea is confusing and identification of the species is generally problematic. There are no adequate anatomical studies available for most of the species. This study is aimed to fill this gap and provides a detailed investigation of the anatomy and micro-morphology of the rhizomes and tubers of five different species of Dioscorea, namely D. balcanica, D. bulbifera, D. polystachya, D. rotundata and D. villosa. The primary features that can help in distinguishing the species include the nature of periderm, presence or absence of pericyclic sclereids, lignification in the phloem, types of calcium oxalate crystals and features of starch grains. The descriptions are supported with images of bright-field and scanning electron microscopy for better understanding of these species. The diagnostic key of anatomical features included in this paper can help distinguish the investigated species unambiguously. Additionally, HPTLC analyses of authentic and commercial samples of the five species are described.

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Acknowledgments

This publication was supported by Grant Number P50AT006268 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines (NCCAM), the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI); and partially by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Specific Cooperative Research Agreement number U01 FD004246-01. We thank Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya, University of Mississippi (presently with PVAMU, Texas A&M University System) for providing authenticated plant materials for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA

    Vijayasankar Raman, Ahmed M. Galal, Bharathi Avula, Satyanarayanaraju Sagi, Troy J. Smillie & Ikhlas A. Khan

  2. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA

    Ikhlas A. Khan

  3. Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ikhlas A. Khan

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  1. Vijayasankar Raman
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  2. Ahmed M. Galal
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  3. Bharathi Avula
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  4. Satyanarayanaraju Sagi
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  5. Troy J. Smillie
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  6. Ikhlas A. Khan
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Correspondence to Vijayasankar Raman or Ikhlas A. Khan.

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Raman, V., Galal, A.M., Avula, B. et al. Application of anatomy and HPTLC in characterizing species of Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae). J Nat Med 68, 686–698 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-014-0849-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-014-0849-5

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