PHARMACOGNOSTIC PROFILES AND DNA BARCODING OF THE STEMBARK OF IRVINGIA GABONENSIS (AUBRY-LECOMTE EX O’RORKE) BAIL. (IRVINGIACEAE): A FORENSIC PHARMACOGNOSY DATA

Irvingia gabonensis is a plant popularly used for both medicinal and dietary purposes. The planthave been used to treat various diseases like diabetes, inflammation, alopecia, fever and ulcers. The study was aimed at evaluating some pharmacognostic fingerprints and molecular DNA barcoding of the stembark. The pharmacognostic fingerprint analysis of the stembark was carried out using standard procedures while the molecular DNA barcoding was done using automated DNA extraction and barcoding by the polymerase chain reaction machine. The organoleptic evaluation showed that the greyish brown stembark of I. gabonensis has a strong bitter taste, acrid odour and slightly coarse to the touch. Chemomicroscopic evaluations reveal the presence of cellulose, suberin, lignin, mucilage, prismatic calcium oxalate crystals and tannins. The transverse section of the stembark showed bicollateral vascular bundle, beaded hexagonal shaped cork cells, fibre sclereids with wide cell lumen, non-striated eccentric oval shaped aggregate starch grains, and wide pith as observed under the scanning electron microscope. The moisture content was 5.13 ± 0.11 w/w %, total ash was 18.58 ± 0.23 w/w/ %, water soluble and acid insoluble ash were13.96 ± 0.66w/v % and 8.02 ± 0.17 w/v % respectively. All the values were within the acceptable ranges. Molecular studies using ribulose biphosphate carboxylase Large chain (rbcL) primers produced consensus DNA that shared alignment and phylogeny with I. gabonensis in the Genbank. Our study showed that I. gabonensis contain important pharmacognostic fingerprints that can distintiguish it from closely related species, and help to check adulteration of drug from the stembark.