Pages: (10-25 )
Abstract
Abrus precatorius is widely used as traditional medicine for treatment of various ailments. The leaves were investigated with the aim of evaluating phytochemical properties with a view to determining its suitability for medicinal use(s). The results showed that the leaves contain phenols (1.57 + 0.07; 3.12 + 0.33; 7.49 + 0.03), saponins (0.01 + 0.01; 0.01 + 0.01; 0.02 + 0.02), alkaloid (0.80 + 0.20; 0.93 + 0.31; 1.27 + 0.11), glycosides (0.50 + 0.02; 6.05 + 0.18; 5.85 + 5.02), flavonoids (0.60 + 0.01; 2.19 + 1.90; 3.42 + 0.43) and steroids (12.53 + 0.22; 36.04 + 1.73; 50.62 + 2.87) mg/100 g n-hexane, ethylacetate and ethanol extracts respectively. The leaves were subjected to sequential extraction with solvents of increasing polarity from n-hexane, ethylacetate and ethanol to obtain crude extracts. These went through thin layer chromatography where the n-hexane extracts gave the best TLC profile. The n-hexane extract was gradiently eluted in a silica gel column that led to the isolation of an orange solid (R1) subjected to spectroscopic techniques (NMR and FTIR). The isolated compound was identified as (3β)-3- formylphenoxyoleane)-12-en-28-oic acid. In general, results showed the plant leaf contains phytochemicals which could be exploited for drug discovery.
Keywords: abrus precatorius, n-hexane, (3β)-3-formylphenoxyoleane)-12-en-28-oic acid.,