Analyzing the effects of altitudes on the metabolic diversity and forskolin content in Coleus forskohlii roots by HPTLC and HPLC

Coleus forskohlii is an important medicinal plant native to India. It grows wild across a wide range of altitudes in the Indian Himalayan region and contains some important phytochemicals that possess remarkable medicinal properties. This plant is the only known source of a medicinally important terpenoid, forskolin, found in its roots. This study was conducted looking at its availability over a wide altitudinal range and medicinal importance. Samples of the five C. forskohlii populations were collected from five altitudes of Uttarakhand, India. HPTLC and HPLC were employed for metabolic diversity analysis. Secondary metabolites were extracted using the Soxhlet extraction, followed by HPTLC fingerprinting and HPLC. Significant differences observed in the HPTLC chromatograms across altitudes. Maximum bands were observed in the HPTLC chromatogram of Gopeshwar population (1488 m a.s.l.). HPLC revealed differences in forskolin quantity among studied populations with the Pipalkoti population (1339 m a.s.l.) showing highest forskolin accumulation. Thus, the present study confirms that altitude and changing environment can affect the nature and quantity of secondary metabolites in C. forskohlii and might be contributory factors for intraspecific metabolic diversity. The Pipalkoti and Gopeshwar populations were found suitable for forskolin and other metabolite production; further, these two populations can be propagated for commercial use.

Automated summary

Coleus forskohlii is an important medicinal plant with remarkable medicinal properties. This study investigated the availability and medicinal importance of C. forskohlii at different altitudes and found that altitude and environmental changes can affect the nature and quantity of secondary metabolites in C. forskohlii.