Química medicinal

Epicatechin and Procyanidin B2 in the Stem and Root bark of Sterculia tragacantha Lindl (Sterculiaceae)

Abstract

Orisakeye OT and Olugbade TA

This study investigated the anti-oxidant activities of both the stem and root bark of Sterculia tragacantha, isolated its active compounds and characterised the isolated compounds.

The plant parts and the isolated compounds were screened for anti-oxidant activity by Thin Layer Chromatography technique using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-dipicrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Extracts were fractionated using Medium Pressure Liquid Chromatography guided by bioautography to isolate active substances. The isolated compounds were characterised using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and by comparison of spectroscopic data with literature values.

The results revealed that the crude extracts and two compounds possess strong anti-oxidant activity and antibacterial activity. Epicatechin was isolated from both the stem and the root bark while Procyanidin B2, C4-C8 dimer of epicatechin, was isolated from the stem bark.

In conclusion, this study suggests that the crude extracts, epicatechin and procyanidin B2 which demonstrated strong anti-oxidant activities can provide efficient antioxidant protection by complementary mechanism, such as free radical scavenging and metal ions reduction.