VARIABILITY IN THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS IN THE ROOTS OF COLEUS FORSKOHLII FROM DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS OF INDIA

Coleus forskohlii Briq. (Lamiaceae) is an important medicinal plant with fasciculate tuber roots, which contains mainly forskolin and 1,9-dideoxyforskolin. Forskolin has multifaceted pharmacological actions and is well indicated in conditions such as glaucoma, asthma, hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders. 1,9 dideoxyforskolin also shares some of the pharmacological actions, but is less potent. The present study focus to reveal the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the production of secondary metabolites in Coleus forskohlii. Fresh plant material and dry tuber roots were collected in the same season from seven different geographical regions of India. HPLC Analysis has indicated the presence of optimum amount of forskolin and 1,9-dideoxyforskolin in the samples from Akot (0.85%, 0.38%), Bangalore (0.66%, 0.24%) and Salem (0.56%, 0.27%). But 1,9-dideoxyforskolin was absent and variation in the content of forskolin was observed in Dharwad (0.69%), Hyderabad (0.5%), Baroda (0.33%) and Arabhavi (0.32%) samples. HPTLC fingerprint showed variation in the number of bands for each accession. Excluding the Dharwad accession, RAPD analysis of the other six accessions demonstrated a prominent genetic relationship among themselves. The agro climatic conditions of Akot (21°0¹ E 77°0¹ N), Bangalore (13°5¹ E 77°35¹ N) and Salem (11°36¹ E 78°36¹N) were found to be suitable for commercial cultivation of this medicinal plant.