BIOACTIVITY OF Rauwolfia serpentina

The different secondary metabolites and the bioactivity of compounds found in various
parts of Rauwolfia serpentina will be discussed in this section.
Alkaloids
Large groups of naturally occurring organic compounds which is known for their heterocyclic
nitrogen ring are called alkaloids. R. serpentina root is known to contain 0.7% – 3.0% of total
alkaloids (Soni et al., 2016). Table 1 shows the different alkaloid compounds found in different
parts of Rauwolfia serpentina with reported bioactivity.
Table 1. Bioactivity of Alkaloid Compounds
Phytoconstituent Compound Name Bioactivity Part of Plant /
Extraction Type
Reserpine Antihypertensive Root
property
Ajmaline Antiarrhythmic agent Root
Ajmalicine Treatment to Fractional extraction /
circulatory diseases; salifying precipitation
blood pressure / salt conversion /
lowering properties desalination /
crystallization of the
root bark
Alkaloids Serpentine Type II
topoisomerase
inhibitor;
antipsychotic
properties
Rescinnamine Antihypertensive
agent; angiotensin
converting enzyme
(ACE) inhibition
potential
Deserpidine Antipsychotic and
antihypertensive
properties
Yohimbine Alpha-adrenergic
antagonist (treatment
of erectile
dysfunction)
[1] Kumari et al. (2013); [2] Soni et al. (2016)
Phenols
Phenols are the secondary plant metabolites that are widely dispersed among the plant kingdom
and is considered toxic for the growth of various pests and pathogens in the plant, thus, its
presence in a plant indicates that it can be used as an anti-microbial agent. R. serpentina
possesses antidiabetic and hypolipidemic properties due to its high quantity polyphenolic
compounds (Soni et al., 2016). Table 2 shows the phenol compound, tannins, found in Rauwolfia
serpentina.
Table 2. Bioactivity of Phenol Compound
Phytoconstituent Compound Name Bioactivity Part of Plant /
Extraction Type
Phenols Tannins Stringent properties
[1] Kumari et al. (2013); [2] Soni et al. (2016)
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are radical scavengers and water-soluble antioxidants that guard against oxidative
cell damage and exhibits potent anti-cancerous activity. It also serves as anti-oxidant and have
anti-inflammatory properties which are utilized in herbal medicine to cure diseases (Soni et al.,
2016). Table 3 shows the flavonoid compounds found in Rauwolfia serpentina.
Table 3. Bioactivity of Flavonoid Compounds
Phytoconstituent Compound Name Bioactivity Part of Plant /
Extraction Type
Kaempferol Antioxidant Methanol extracts of
properties leaves
Rutin
Pinocembrin
Quercetin
Galangin-5 methyl-
ether
Apigenin
Flavonoids Pseudobaptigenin ACE inhibition Root extract
potential
Quercetin dimethyl
ether O-glucoronide
Myricetin 3 O-
glucoside
luteolin 7-O
glucuronyl
quercetin -3- O
hexose-pentose
[1] Gupta and Gupta (2015); [2] Jahan et al., (2022)
Saponins
Saponins are naturally occurring glycoside of both triterpenes and sterols. The ability to create
foam in aqueous solutions, hemolytic activity, cholesterol-binding abilities, and bitterness are the
traits of saponins. The use of R. serpentina to control bleeding and cure wounds are supported by
the plant’s high saponin content (Kumari et al., 2013).