Comparative Phytochemical Studies on Zygophyllum coccineum L. from Different Habitats, Egypt

Zygophyllum coccineum L. (Family Zygophyllaceae) was collected from two habitats namely Wadi Hagul and Nile Delta coast. Plant leaves from both habitats contained appreciable content of total phenols and total flavonoids. The contents of these compounds were remarkably higher in desert than coastal habitat. Alkaloids, saponins and tannins are detected in plant leaves from both habitats, however their contents varied. Tannins and alkaloids are found in desert habitat with higher content compared to the coastal one, however the content of saponins was higher in coastal than in desert plants. The leaves of Z. coccineum contained glucosinolates which was higher in desert than in coastal plants. Proline and total ascorbate were lower in coastal than the desert plants whereas total glutathione was higher in coastal than desert area. It was noticed that the soluble protein as well as the soluble carbohydrate were lower than their insoluble counterparts in the leaves. Amino acids analysis revealed that cysteine and methionine were the dominant amino acids in leaves of plants from the two habitats. Alanine content was higher in coastal than desert plants. The total chlorophyll was higher in desert plants than in coastal plants. Z. coccineum leaves from both habitats showed remarkable activities of pyruvate kinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase and phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. The desert plant is the best source for the plant material for medical use.