African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12496

Full Length Research Paper

Estimation of inorganic constituents in the seeds of blue and white flowering capitulum of Silybum marianum

Farhat Ali Khan1, Muneeb Ur Rehman Khattak2* and Muhammad Zahoor3
1Department of Pharmacy, Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan. 2Department of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan. 3Department of Chemistry, Malakand University, Malakand, Pakistan.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 19 August 2011
  •  Published: 12 October 2011

Abstract

Silybum Marianum commonly known as milk thistle contains flavonolignans, collectively known as silymarin. The main components of silymarin are silybine, isosilybine, silychristin and silydinine. This study was aimed to estimate inorganic constituents in blue and white capitulum’s seeds from different areas of KPK. Concentration of Na was found to be high (6 mg/kg) in white capitulum seeds from Karak area, while K concentration was high (6 mg/kg) in the blue capitulum seeds from Khyber agency. High concentration of Ca (20 mg/kg) was seen in both white and blue capitulum’s seeds of Khyber agency. Less concentration of NO3 (0.09 mg/kg) was detected in white capitulum seeds from Kohat district and high concentration of SO(22.14 mg/kg) was recorded in blue capitulum seedscollected from Peshawar.

 

Key words: Silybum marianum, capitulum’s seeds, inorganic profile.