Role of Infrared Spectroscopy in Medicinal Plants Research in Pakistan

M.      Najam-ul-Haq; S.      Majeed; A.      Saeed; C.      W. Huck; V.      A. Huck-Pezzei; J.      Pallua; L.      Bittner; S.      Schonbichler; C.      Pezzei; M.      Athar; N.      Mahmood; G.      K. Bonn

Abstract

During the whole human history and particularly in the recent years, various plants of medicinal importance are being utilized for curing various diseases and ailments. A huge world population knowingly or unknowingly is using herbal medicines. The investigations have already shown that there is a strong correlation between current therapeutics and traditional plants. However, there are renewed attempts in phytochemistry research to investigate the medicinally important compounds. Various plants have the ability to produce substances which can be beneficial in health issues. However, one should be aware of the adverse effects. Therefore, more and more authentic analytical techniques are now-adays available which provide the chemists an opportunity with greater flexibility, in the isolation and analysis of extracted bioactive compounds. Particularly, the IR spectroscopy is an extensively used tool for investigating the different structural aspects of these medicinal compounds. The results and achievements made through this tool are comprehensive, easy to interpret and relate with the other structural techniques. The said standing of IR spectroscopy accomplishments are very well reviewed here, particularly the achievements attained by infrared spectroscopy alone or in hyphenation with liquid chromatographic approaches for the analysis of such compounds. Such couplings and strategies are vital to design to deal with the complex sources. IR scanning yields a simultaneous picture of the compounds present in an extract. The efficient and accurate extractions and identifications of pharmacological compounds help then in establishing the disease specific drugs.

Keywords: Bioactive compounds, infrared spectroscopy, medicinal plants, near-infrared, Pakistan, traditional medicines, shrub, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids