Centella asiatica (L.) urban from Nepal: Quali-quantitative analysis of samples from several sites, and selection of high terpene containing populations for cultivation Anjana Devkota a , Stefano Dall’Acqua b, * , Stefano Comai b , Gabbriella Innocenti b , Pramod Kumar Jha a a Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal b Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy article info Article history: Received 25 May 2009 Accepted 23 December 2009 Keywords: Centella asiatica Asiaticoside Triterpene Quali-quantitative analysis HPLC abstract Centella asiatica (L.) Urban is widely used in traditional medicine in many countries and in the formulation of drugs and cosmetics, and is therefore suitable as a trade item for the development of medicinal plants for the population of Nepal. The aim of this work was to select plant populations of C. asiatica with high contents of secondary metabolites growing in various localities in Nepal, and to enhance knowledge of the cultivation of this plant. Quali-quantitative analysis of bioactive triterpenes (asiaticoside and asiatic acid) and phenol derivatives (flavonoids and caffeoyl esters) was performed by HPLC-DAD-ELSD. The highest quantities of triterpenes and phenols were found in samples from the Gorkha and Chitwan districts. Regarding cultivated plants, soil fertilisation is critical, since over-rich soils affect secondary metabolite content. Plants growing in sand-rich soils produce more terpenes. This work provides indications on how to select high-terpene producing germplasm and recommendations for plant cultivation. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Centella asiatica (L.) is a stoloniferous perennial herb, commonly growing in humid areas in several tropical countries. It is used as a remedy for many diseases in the folk medicine of several countries (Shrestha and Dhillion, 2003; Mamedov, 2005). C. asiatica is widespread in both eastern and western areas of Nepal, and is collected by the native people for many traditional medicinal uses. For example, aerial parts are used against fever, to reduce uric acid levels, to treat high blood pressure, and as a memory enhancer (Devkota and Jha, 2008). Literature data on the phytochemistry and pharmacological activity of C. asiatica were reviewed in 2007, and research has been reported both in vitro and in vivo (Jamil et al., 2007). The main active principles of C. asiatica are triterpene glycosides and their respective aglycones. However, significant differences in active constituent contents have been observed between samples from several countries, including India (Das and Mallick, 1991) and Madagascar (Rouillard-Guellec et al., 1997). Other published data indicate that C. asiatica grown in Madagascar accumulates the highest levels of asiaticoside (Rouillard-Guellec et al., 1997; Randriamampionona et al., 2007). Extracts and active constituents are found in many herbal drugs and cosmetic preparations worldwide, especially for venous circulation and skin care (Cesarone et al., 2001; Incandela et al., 2001). C. asiatica is therefore suitable as a trade item for the development of medicinal plants for the population of Nepal. * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ39 049 8275332; fax: þ39 049 8275366. E-mail address: stefano.dallacqua@unipd.it (S. Dall’Acqua). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Biochemical Systematics and Ecology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biochemsyseco 0305-1978/$ – see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2009.12.019 Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 38 (2010) 12–22