Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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HISTOLOGICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF COFFEA BENGHALENSIS B. HEYNE EX SCHULT., COMPARED WITH COFFEA ARABICA L.

ÉVA BRIGITTA PATAY1*, TIBOR NÉMETH2, TIBOR SEBASTIAN NÉMETH2, RITA FILEP1,3, LAURIAN VLASE4, NÓRA PAPP1

1.Institute of Pharmacognosy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Rókus 2, H-7624, Pécs, Hungary
2.Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Square 1 Decembrie 10, 410073, Oradea, Romania
3.Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Science, University of Pécs, Ifjúság 6, H-7624, Pécs, Hungary
4.Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 12 Ion Creanga Street, 400010, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

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Coffea benghalensis B. Heyne ex Schult. as a wild Indian coffee species, has been rarely studied and applied in the industry nowadays. In this work, histological characters of the leaf and petiole, and polyphenolic compounds of the leaf, immature pericarp and seed were studied by LC/MS, and compared with C. arabica as a control species. The epidermis of the leaf and petiole of C. benghalensis is covered by cuticle. The leaf consists of a heterogeneous mesophyll with intercellular, palisade and spongy cells, and collateral closed bundles. These are surrounded by sclerenchyma in the petiole. Compared with Arabic coffee, the cuticle was thicker; epidermis and spongy cells smaller, and palisade cells were longer in the leaf of Bengal coffee. In the petiole, the central bundle continues into 2 small bundles in contrast to the six ones in the Arabic coffee. Five phenolic acids were identified in the leaf, immature pericarp and seed, and 4 flavonols in the leaf and pericarp. Chlorogenic acid was dominant in the non-hydrolysed seed extract, while caffeic acid in the hydrolysed extract, and isoquercitrin and rutin in the non-hydrolysed extract of the leaf. All compounds were represented at a low level in the immature pericarp. Chlorogenic, ferulic, p-coumaric and sinapic acid occur in larger amounts in the leaf and seed of C. arabica. Flavonols were documented at a higher level in the leaf of Bengal than of Arabic coffee. These preliminary results highlight the importance of study of coffee species.