PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Pogostemon benghalensis belonging to family Lamiaceae commonly known as Hook loti and native of the sub-tropical and tropical parts of India. It is commonly found in Melghat where it originates in the form of large patches along the river banks and is an annual, aromatic, under shrub. The leaves were extracted with chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water was based on the polarity of the solvents using cold maceration method at approx 15°C. Phytochemical screening of these extracts showed the presence of terpenoids and lactones in acetone extract in the sample. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed the presence of various functional groups such as NH(amine), OH (carboxylic acid),=C=O (lactone), C-N (cyano)from the IR absorption bands in the high wave region at 3373 cm^-1 and 1708 cm^-1 and the active compounds were identified by comparing the retrieved compounds with the standard chart. The number of protons present and the electronic state of the protons in the various compounds was analysed using H¹ NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance). Further studies are to be done for the isolation of the active compounds that can be used to determine its therapeutic implications for the development of new drugs.