The nature of plant medicines is decided by the secondary metabolites it contains which may fluctuate with the altitude. We here studied the variation in total phenols and flavonoids and three marker compounds viz., atropine, caffeic acid, and chlorogenic acid in different plant parts of Hyoscyamus pusillus collected from three sites having varying altitudes. The ploidy level was determined through the standard acetocarmine technique. The atropine, caffeic acid, and chlorogenic acid content in different plant parts and populations were estimated using High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and Aluminium chloride method respectively. The free radical scavenging activity was measured by DPPH assay. Investigation revealed that a high land population has a higher content of phenols and flavonoids and showed better scavenging of DPPH free radicals. The HPTLC analysis showed that the content of atropine, caffeic acid, and chlorogenic acid was maximum in roots and plants thriving at higher altitudes compared to plants at lower altitudes. Locally, the species is used for treating toothache and relieves the griping pain caused by drastic purgatives. Further, the populations at higher altitudes can be explored as an alternative source of atropine, caffeic acid, and chlorogenic acid. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to analyze the phytoconstituents of Neptunia triquetra (Vahl) Benth. Anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities of ethanol (EE), chloroform (CE) and dichloromethane (DCME) of stem extracts were evaluated using in vivo experimental models. The extracts were analyzed for phytoconstituents using GC-HRMS. Anti-inflammatory activity of CE, EE and DCME was accessed using carrageenan-induced paw oedema, cotton pellet-induced granuloma and the carrageenan-induced air-pouch model in Wistar albino rats. The hepatotoxicity-induced animal models were investigated for the biochemical markers in serum (AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, total lipids and total protein) and liver (total protein, total lipids, GSH and wet liver weight). In the in vivo study, animals were divided into different groups (six in each group) for accessing the anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity, respectively. GC-HRMS analysis revealed the presence of 102 compounds, among which 24 were active secondary metabolites. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity of stem extracts was found in the order: indomethacin > chloroform extract (CE) > dichloromethane extract (DCME) > ethanolic extract (EE), and hepatoprotective activity of stem extracts in the order: CE > silymarin > EE > DCME. The results indicate that N. triquetra stem has a higher hepatoprotective effect than silymarin, however the anti-inflammatory response was in accordance with or lower than indomethacin.

Meiotic studies have been carried out on three plants of Leontopodium jacotianum from Cold deserts of Ladakh. The chromosome number of n=24 counted in all the plants adds a new tetraploid cytotype for the species. The plants collected from Zoji-La showed a normal meiotic course leading to high pollen fertility. However, the plants collected from Sankoo region of cold deserts of Ladakh, Jammu, and Kashmir showed abnormal meiosis caused by structural heterozygosity for reciprocal translocations. The structural heterozygosity was observed for the first time in the species. Chiasma frequency was also calculated by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in the plants to see the effect of reciprocal translocations. Besides reciprocal translocation, the plant also showed various meiotic abnormalities in the form of early disjunction of bivalents, chromatin bridges, and laggards. Structural heterozygosity and other meiotic abnormalities in the plant seem to be responsible for a reduction in pollen fertility.

Achyranthes aspera, known as Latjeer, is a medicinally as well as an economically important plant and shows a lot of cytomorphological diversity. Keeping this status in consideration, the present attempt was made to study the detailed meiotic course in 12 plants of A. aspera collected from different areas of North India. The meiotic analysis depicts the presence of two cytotypes with 2n=28 and 42. The chromosome number of 2n=42 confirms the previous reports whereas the 2n=28 is a new chromosome number. The meiotic behavior in 4x and 6x plants may suggest their allopolyploid nature.

Intraspecific euploid cytotypes (2n=18, 36) were found in the wild plants of Brachyactis pubescens in North West Himalayas from the hills of Ladakh division of Jammu and Kashmir and Solang Valley, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh. The plants with each ploidy level showed regular bivalent formation, equal segregation of chromosomes during anaphases and normal sporads. The 2x plants were found growing at higher elevations in the Kashmir Himalayas and adjoining hills of Afghanistan while the 4x plants grow at lower elevations in the Solang Valley, Himachal Pradesh. The 4x and 2x plants could be differentiated in various morphometric parameters. The 4x plants were noticed to be robust and much taller and show gigantism in leaf and floral characters besides depicting the increase in the size of trichomes, stomata and pollen grains. Analysis of meiotic chromosome pairing in the tetraploid taxa indicates towards its allopolyploid nature.