Assessment of the authenticity of Jacob's ladder herb (Polemonium caeruleum herba) by anatomical characteristics

Introduction. Blue Polemonium (Polemonium cаeruleum L.) is the only representative of the Lilac family, which is allowed for use in medical practice. Blue polemonium rhizomes with roots are used as an expectorant and sedative and are included in the State Pharmacopoeia XIV edition. The herb of the plant is used as a biologically active additive of sedative action, however, regulatory documentation for this type of raw material has not been developed so far.

Aim. Description of anatomical features required in the development of draft pharmacopoeial article for the formation of the section "Microscopy" and assessing the authenticity of plant raw materials "Polemonium cаeruleum herba".

Materials and methods. Several samples of blue polemonium, which were collected independently from cultivated plants (Polemonium cаeruleum L.) in 2022 and 2023 during the period of mass flowering on the territory of the Botanical Garden named after B. M. Kozo-Polyansky VSU (Voronezh), were used in this work. Microscopic analysis was performed in accordance with the requirements of the current regulatory documentation.

Results and discussion. It was found that epidermal cells of leaf, calyx and corolla of blue polemonium are twisted, elongated on peduncles. Trichomes are of two types. There are papillae-like outgrowths of epidermis along the leaf margin and on sepals. Mesophyll is represented by spongy tissue. The conducting system is predominantly of spiral thickening type. Stomata are of anomocytic type. Stem is rounded or with weakly expressed edges. Primary cortex of the stem is represented by collenchyma, storage parenchyma without inclusions, endoderm with Caspari girdles. The stem is of tubeless structure. Cambium consists of continuous rows of small cells. Phloem is represented by small cells, sieve tubes with satellite cells. Secondary xylem lacks heart-shaped rays, radially arranged vessels have thick walls. The medulla is represented by parenchyma cells with oil droplets. The petiole is triangular in outline with a deep notch at the top and long marginal outgrowths, where there is one small conducting bundle each. The central bundle is arc-shaped with inwardly curved edges with parenchyma lining. Conclusion. In the framework of the present study, anatomo-diagnostic features of blue polemonium herb were studied with the help of various methods of microscopic analysis. The obtained data will be used in the development of the draft pharmacopoeial article "Polemonium cаeruleum herb", namely for the formation of the section "Microscopy".

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