M. SUJATHA*,**, M. JOHNSON *#, D. VANILA***
*Centre for Plant Biotechnology, Department of Botany, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India – 627 002
**Reg. No. 12196 Affiliated to ”Manonmaniam Sundaranar” University, Tirunelveli, India – 627 012
***Department of Botany, T.D.M.N.S. College, T. Kallikulam, Tamil Nadu, India – 627 002
The present study was aimed to reveal the functional constituents of two grasses Eragrostis amabilis (L.) Wight. Arn. and Eragrostis pilosa (L.) Beauv. aerial and underground parts extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate, ethanol) using FT-IR. About 1.0 mg of E. amabilis and E. pilosa aerial and underground parts crude extracts pellets were measured in an automatic recording IR Spectro-photometer in the range of 400 to 4000 cm–1. The existences of metabolites functional groups in the studied extracts of E. amabilis aerial and underground parts were recorded. The functional groups presence and absence explained the similarities and variation between the species E. amabilis and E. pilosa and aerial and underground parts extracts of E. amabilis and E. pilosa. The existence of alcohols, phenols, 1°2° amines, amide, α, β unsaturated aldehyde, ketone, nitro compounds and aliphatic amines in the aerial parts of E. amabilis and E. pilosa were confirmed. The peaks 668.5 cm–1 and 729 cm–1 showed their restricted presence only in the ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extracts of E. pilosa aerial parts. The observed results confirmed the biochemical variation between the species E. amabilis and E. pilosa and parts (aerial and underground). These profiles may be used as phytomarker for the identification of E. amabilis and E. pilosa aerials and underground parts and reveal inter-specific variation between E. amabilis and E. pilosa and among the Eragrostis species. The observed results proved that the FT-IR spectroscopic profiles are valuable marker and chemo metrics to distinguish the species and crude drugs.
Key words: FT-IR, Spectroscopic profile, functional group, Eragrostis, Grass
Corresponding author’s e-mail: ptcjohnson@gmail.com