Preliminary phytochemical profiling of selected species of Dicliptera Juss. (Acanthaceae) from Peninsular India

Phytochemical investigations provide essential baseline information for evaluating the chemical diversity and bioactive potential of medicinally important plant taxa. The present study reports a qualitative phytochemical screening of selected species of Dicliptera Juss. (Acanthaceae) collected from Peninsular India. Methanolic extracts of eleven species were prepared using Soxhlet extraction and subjected to standard confirmatory phytochemical tests for major classes of secondary metabolites. The screening revealed appreciable interspecific variation in phytochemical composition. Flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, triterpenoids, sterols, tannins, and saponins were detected in varying combinations across the studied taxa, whereas carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids were largely absent. Among the investigated species, Dicliptera paniculata (Forssk.) I.Darbysh., D. srisailamica Rasingam, Nethaji & Susmitha, D. nasikensis Lakshmin. & B.D.Sharma, and D. cuneata Nees exhibited comparatively broader qualitative phytochemical profiles, while D. beddomei C.B.Clarke and D. foetida (Forssk.) Blatt. showed lower diversity of metabolites. The consistent occurrence of flavonoids and alkaloids across all species suggests their conserved presence within the genus. The present findings provide baseline phytochemical data for Dicliptera species from Peninsular India and underscore the need for further quantitative, chromatographic, and bioactivity-guided studies to characterize individual phytoconstituents and assess their biological relevance.