The present study was aimed at establishing scientific validation with supporting data of the aquatic plant Nymphaea pubescens Willd family Nymphaeaceae on its pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and pharmacological
activities.
The study for the first time designed to focus on the pharmacognostic standardization, systematic isolation of the phytoconstituents, identification by spectroscopic interpretation including 2D NMR studies and subjecting the same for physico-chemical analysis like Lipinski rule of five, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parameters, screening the plant extracts and the isolated compounds
for the target based antidiabetic activity in the type II diabetic animal model enzymatically and also at the receptor level, anti-cancer activity and In-vitro antioxidant
activity in order to establish and standardize the folklore claims.
The pharmacognostic standardization helps to differentiate between the species and adulterants or substitutes. The study revealed the macroscopic, microscopic identification, physico-chemical constants, powder and fluorescence
analytical datas that provides the standardizing protocol for Nymphaea pubescens.
Thoroughly investigated the literature, presence of macrocyclic flavonol Nympholide A and Nympholide B in Nymphaea lotus and Nuciferine in Nelumbo nucifera were isolated and reported. But so far no such compounds were isolated and scientifically proved from Nymphaea pubescens.
The phytochemical studies of the aquatic plant for the first time focused mainly on identification and isolation of two aliphatic compounds 10-oxoundecanoic acid and 14-oxopentadec-9-enoic acid, one aporphine based alkaloid Nuciferine and one flavonol Quercetin. The studies supported by TLC, HPTLC, UV, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 13C DEPT-135 NMR, HMBC 2D NMR, Mass spectroscopic and melting point data’s. In addition the isolated compounds are subjected for physico-chemical analysis by feeding the structure of the compound in the database ACD/ilabs. The physico-chemical studies revealed all the isolated compounds exhibits drug likeness
property.
The literature has thus so far documented no pharmacological and systematic study has been attempted to confirm the traditional practice of using Nymphaea pubescens in the treatment of diabetes and cancer.
The pharmacological studies of the root and rhizome showed that the ethanolic extract acts mechanistically by increasing the glycolytic enzymes, antiapoptotic
protein Bcl-2 expression and decreasing the gluconeogenic enzymes, proapoptotic protein expression in hepatic cells. The isolated compounds 10-oxoundecanoic acid, 14-oxopentadec-9-enoic acid and Nuciferine inhibit the Protein
tyrosine phosphatase 1B receptor involved in the insulin signaling deactivation pathway. The ethanolic extract from the root and rhizome of Nymphaea pubescens screened for the first time for antidiabetic activity in the type II diabetes induced animal models and the compounds 10-oxoundecanoic acid, 14-oxopentadec-9-enoic acid and Nuciferine was isolated from root and rhizome and molecularly docked for
the first time.
The ethyl acetate fraction from ethanolic flower extract of N.pubescens showed significant anticancer and anti-oxidant activity and the activities may be due to the presence of Quercetin which is isolated and reported for the first time.
We conclude that the aquatic plant Nymphaea pubescens is scientifically proved by isolating the compounds 10-oxoundecanoic acid, 14-oxopentadec-9-enoic acid, Nuciferine and Quercetin and validating by physico-chemical property analysis, chemotaxonomical analysis, molecular studies of the extracts for the antidiabetic activity, molecular docking for the isolated compounds with the receptor Protein
Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B, biological assay for active fraction in the DAL induced animal model and its free radical scavenging effect, since scientific validation is the hour of the day.
The aquatic plant Nymphaea pubescens also gives the chemotaxonomical significance due to the presence of aporphine based alkaloid Nuciferine and flavonol Quercetin to the Nymphaeaceae family.
In future, large scale isolation of 10-oxoundecanoic acid, 14-oxopentadec-9-enoic acid and Nuciferine and screening the isolated compounds for in-vivo antidiabetic activity including apoptotic studies, in-vivo assay for PTP1B, QSAR
studies may provide potent lead molecules for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus
