Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Department of Pharmacognosy

Genus Poncirus was initially included in the Citrus genus. In the early 1900s, Poncirus was separated from the Citrus genus. It comprises two known species, Poncirus trifoliata and Poncirus polyandra. The objective of this work was targeted towards assessing the efficacy of different organs of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. cultivated in Egypt for implementation in pharmaceutical industries and facilitating the incorporation of the essential oil obtained from the fruits as well as the fruits extract in nano-based natural formulations.To fulfill these goals, Phytochemical study of the fruits, leaves and roots, Biological study of 70% alcoholic extract of leaves and fruits to identify effective natural remedy for neurodegenerative diseases and Preparation of Nano-based pharmaceutical formulations to optimize the pharmaceutical actions of the essential oil and the fruits extract. Phytochemical screening revealed an almost similar response to the applied tests among fruits, leaves and roots. Investigation of the essential oils was revealed that the monoterpene hydrocarbon group was predominant in leaves, flowers and peels. The total phenolic content of fruits and leaves exceeded that of roots. The total flavonoid content of fruits and leaves was slightly higher than that of roots. HPLC analysis of phenolics and flavonoids of leaves, fruits and roots was showed that hesperidin was the major flavonoid in fruits.This is the first report concerning the metabolites profiling of Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. fruits, leaves and roots using UPLC-Orbitrap HRMS in the negative and positive ionization modes. A total 107 compounds were characterized belonging to various chemical classes. PCA analysis also demonstrated that the fruits are rich in furanocoumarins, polymethoxylated flavonoids and Flavonoids predominated in fruits and leaves

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