A comparative pharmacognostical study of washingtoniafilifera H. Wendl. and Washingtoniarobusta H. wendl : (Family Arecaceae) grown in Egypt / Nariman Elsayed Hassan Mahdy ; Supervised Seham Salah Eldin Elhawary , Soheir Mohamed Elzalabani , Rehab Nabil Shamma

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

Palms (family Arecaceae) play a crucial role in traditional cultures as source of raw materials for consumption, construction, folk medication and as ornaments. Searching for potential remedies derived from locally cultivated plants, two palm species of genus Washingtonia viz.,W. filifera H. Wendl. (California fan palm) and W. robusta H. Wendl. (Mexican fan palm) were subjected to the following bioactivity-guided phytochemical study.To ensure identity and purity, quality control criteria of the two species and their hybrid W. filibusta were established via proximate analysis and DNA profiling. Following a macro-morphological description of the two parent plants, their bioactive potential and chemical composition were investigated. In-vitro assessment of the antioxidant capacities of the ethanol extracts of the leaves, pericarps and seeds (by ABTS and FRAP assays) revealed that the leaf extract of W. robusta was the most active (compared to ascorbic acid). Moreover, this extract and its petroleum ether fraction exhibited a remarkable cytotoxic activity against liver (HepG2, compared to doxorubicin) while being inactive against normal oral epithelial cell line (OEC) indicating their safety. Whereas, the W. filifera samples were less effective. Composition/activity relationship of the different organs was explored through quantitative analysis of polyphenols, terpenoids and lipoids. Results indicated that W. robusta extracts, chiefly that of the leaves, contained relatively higher amounts of the estimated components than their W. filifera analogs.The leaves appeared the most promising, from bioactivity and economic standpoints, and were subjected to thorough investigation.Their metabolic constituents were examined through phytochemical screening and UPLC/MS profiling indicating a close similarity in composition

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