ESTIMATION OF ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS AND MINERAL IN Catharanthus roseus AND ITS BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE AS A MEDICINAL PLANT

Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) is considered as one of the medicinal and herbal plants that has great importance around the world. Botanical genus of Apocyanaceae Family, which have five types. C. roseus contains many compounds characterized by their medicinal and therapeutic effectiveness such as Indole alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponin, Tannin, phenols, flavonoids, and elements. Minerals and trace elements have very important role in the process of metabolism in human body in which have very vital biological effect on the enzymes involved in antioxidants and immune system that act as multiple line for the defense. The aim of this article was to examine , and determining the important constituents of essential elements in local C. roseus and study it’s biological effect in metabolic, immune system, as well as human health. SHIMADZU AA7000 instrument with Graphite Furnace - Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (GF-AAS) was used to determine the essential trace elements (Iron, zinc, selenium, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium) for the present study, which had highly sensitivity, selectivity, and lower detection limits with accurate results. Analysis results showed that C. Roses plant contains an abundance of essential elements and minerals (Fe, Zn, Se, Na, Ca, Mg, and K) in significant concentrations. The important finding of the present study was that approximately most plant parts were supplemented with certain minerals and essential trace elements that considered as very important for biological metabolic, enzymatic reactions, immune systems, and finally human health.