Glycosides
• Senna
• Cascara
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Content
Glycosides
✓ Source, diagnostic characters, constituents and uses of
Senna and Cascara
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Objectives
• At the end of this lecture, student will be able to
– Discuss the source, diagnostic characters, constituents
and uses of
» Senna
» Cascara
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Anthracene glycosides
✓ Major class of glycosides
✓ Dicots – Euphorbiaceae, polygonaceae, Rhamnaceae, rubiaceae etc
✓ Monocots – Liliaceae
✓ Fungi and lichens
✓ Lower plants – bryophytes, pteridophytes and gymnopserms – devoid
of glycosides
✓ Aglycone – Anthraquinone, anthrone, anthranol, dianthranol,
oxanthrone, dianthrone
✓ In some cases – derived form – Senna, aloe, rhubarb, cascara, etc
✓ Reduced form – anthraquinone as anthranol (brownish yellow) or
anthrone (Plae yellow)
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Anthracene glycosides
Borntrager’s test
✓ Anthraquinone glycosides
✓ Drug + Organic solvent – Organic layer made alkaline with caustic soda
or ammonia, aqueous layer shows pink, red or violet colour
✓ Anthranol – reduced form negative for borntrager’s test
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Senna
Synonym
• Tinnevely senna, Alexandrain senna, Folia senna, Senna leaf, Cassia
senna
Source
• Dried leaflets of Cassia angustifolia (Indina senna) and Cassia
acutifolia (alexandrain senna)
Family
• Leguminosae
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• Type Morphology of Senna
• Colour
• Shape
• Size
• Odour
• Taste
• Petiole
• Margin
• Apex
• Base
• Venation
• Texture www.DuloMix.com 7
Microscopy of Senna ✓ Isobilateral
✓ Lamina
Upper epidermis
Mesophyll
Upper palisade
Spongy parenchyma
Lower palisade
Lower epidermis
✓ Midrib
✓ Epidermal layers are continuous
in the midrib
✓ Lower palisade is not in the midrib
✓ Paracytic stomata ✓ Collateral type
✓ Covering trichome ✓ Sclerenchymatous fibres
www.DuloMix.com✓ Crystal sheat8h
Microscopy of Senna
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Powder Characters of Senna
Organoleptic characters: Taste, Colour, odour, taste
• Covering trichome (unicellular)
• Paracytic stomata
• Calcium oxalate (Cluster/prisms)
• Epidermal cells
• Mesophyll
Senna
Active Constituents
• Glycosides: Anthracene – Dianthrone glycosides
Sennoside A
Sennoside B Homodianthrones
Sennoside C
Sennoside D Heterodianthrones
• Rhein, emodin, aloe emodin- aglycones
• Flavonoid- Kaempferol glycoside
Use
✓ Laxative in case of habitual constipation
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Cascara
Synonym
Cascara bark, cascara sagrada, sacred bark, chittem bark, cortex
Rhamnus purshianae
Source
Dried bark of Rhamnus purshiana
Family
Rhamnaceae
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Cascara
Macroscopy
✓ Colour – Purplish brown externally,
reddish brown, longitudinal
straitions internally
✓ Odour – Nauseous
✓ Taste – Persistently bitter
✓ Size – 1-4 mm thick, with varying
size
✓ Shape – Broken pieces, small, flat,
quils, channels
✓ Lenticels on the outer surface
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Cascara
Microscopy
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Cascara
Powder microscopy
Cascara
Constituents
✓ Fresh drug – anthranol – cause gripping and
emesis
✓ On storage – anthranol oxidises to anthraquinone
✓ Contains both O and C glycosides
✓ Primary glycosides – Cascarosides A, B, C, D
Other constituents
✓ Barbaloin, chrysaloin, dianthrone of emodin, aloe
emodin, chrysophanol
✓ Bitter taste- because of lactone
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Cascara
Test
✓ Modified borntrager’s test
Uses
✓ Small dose – bitter stomachic, tonic
✓ Lage dose – purgative
Substitutes
✓ R. California
✓ R. fallax
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Summary
✓ Senna is an isobilateral leaf
✓ Lamina is differentiated into upper epidermis, upper palisade,
spongy parenchyma, lower palisade and lower epidermis
✓ In midrib, the upper palisade in continuous whereas lower
palisade is interrupted with collenchyma
✓ Crystal sheath and sclerenchymatous sheath are found in the
midrib
✓ Senna contains anthracene types of glycosides
✓ Cascara – Dried bark of Rhamnus purshiana – O and C glycosides
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Thank You
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