BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RHODODENDRON ARBOREUM LEAVES FROM HIMACHAL PRADESH REGION.

The increased antibiotic resistance necessitates the need to explore alternative antimicrobials and also to safeguard human health. Since centuries, medicinal plants have been known for their pharmacological effect and are being used traditionally for the treatment of numerous ailments. Rhododendron arboreum is economically and medicinally a very important plant variety exhibiting therapeutic properties and found wide application in treatment of various disorders. In the present study, R. arboreum leaves collected from Himachal Pradesh, India were subjected to extraction in 80% methanol. The percent yield of the methanolic extract of the leaves was 18.4%. The extract was subjected to solvent–solvent extraction using hexane (RAH) and ethyl acetate (RAEa) solvents. The HPLC analysis indicated the presence of quercetin in RAH and RAEa and the concentration of quercetin in both the solvent extracts were estimated in the range of 0.3 ±1mg and 0.143 ±1.15mg quercetin g-1 respectively. The presence of quercetin makes the leaves of R.arboreum an an efficient antimicrobial herbal candidate with various nutraceutical and antimicrobial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]