Bioactivities and phytochemical analysis of four plants of medicinal importance

Abstract

The search for biologically active compounds from natural sources has always been of great interest to scientist looking for new drugs to be used in diseases. In recent years a number of studies have been reported dealing with antimicrobial and anticancerous screening of extracts of medicinal plants for biological and therapeutic activities. Recently considerable attention has been paid to utilize eco-friendly and bio-friendly plant based products for the prevention and cure of different human diseases. Since the secondary metabolites often have a complex stereo structure which may be essential for biological activity, many of these cannot be synthesized economically on a commercial basis. Bioassays have brought about a major change in the approach to the isolation of bioactive compounds and hence drug discovery. Keeping in view the importance of medicinal plants four ethnobotanically important plants were collected from the local flora. These include Arisaema jlavum (Araceae), Debregeasia salicifolia (Urticaceae), Carissa opaca (Apocynaceae) and Toona ciliata (Meliaceae). These plants were extracted with polar solvents to achieve maximum yield in the form of crude extracts which were then subjected to fractionation by using different solvents in increasing order of polarity. Antibacterial activity of crude extract as well as fractions of selected plants was determined against seven bacterial strains through agar well diffusion method. Anticancer activity was determined against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line by using MIT assay. The active fractions were then subjected to isolate pure compounds using different chromatographic techniques. Chloroform and methanol fractions of A. jlavum were active anticancer fractions with 76% and 83% activity. D. salicifolia chloroform, ethyl acetate and hexane fractions were also active against MCF-7 cells by exhibiting 99, 98 and 90% of activity. Among C. opaca fractions chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol fractions were most active against MCF-7 cell line by showing 99%, 96% and 94% activity. Hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of T ciliata showed 71%, 70% and 79% of inhibition respectively. A. jlavwn chloroform and methanol fractions were also active against bacterial strains. Chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of D. salicifolia also conferred considerable xiv activity against bacterial strains. T. ciliata chloroform and ethyl acetatre fractions were also active against bacterial strains while these fractions of C. opaca showed mild activity. A. flavum chloroform and methanol fractions were subjected to different chromatographic techniques for isolation . of compounds due to their considerable activity against MCF-7 cell line as well as bacterial strains. Techniques used were flash column chromatography and thin layer chromatography. Isolated compounds were analysed by using different spectroscopic techniques like GCMS, LCMS, FTIR and NMR for structure elucidation. Two compounds were isolated from chloroform fraction of A. flavum. One of these compounds was Hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester with molecular formula C18H360 2 and molar mass 284 and other was 5-0xo-19 propyldocosanoic acid methyl ester with molecular formula C26Hso03 and molecular mass 410. One compound was isolated from methanol fraction of A. flavum with molecular formula C12H22011 and mass 342. The compound was named as beta-D-fructofuranosyl alpha-D-glucopyranosi~e. ') Present finding conclude that tested plants have antibacterial and cytotoxic potential that can lead to isolation of novel bioactive compound. Further plants have great diversity of organo chemicals that should be screened for their bioactivity.