CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS FROM THE ROOTS OF ELEPHANTOPUS SCABER, AND LEAVES OF FICUS RUMPHII AND IPHIONA SCABRA

Mohammad Ali*, Shahnaz Sultana, Showkat Rasool Mir and Vinod Damoji Rangari

ABSTRACT

Elephantopus scaber L. (family Asteraceae) is an erect, rosetted, perennial, scabrous herb and its roots are used to treat bronchitis, conjunctivitis, cuts, dysmenorrhoea, dysuria, headache, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, piles, pimples, spermatorrhoea, sprue, swelling, stomach disorders, tonsillitis, ulcers and wounds. Ficus rumphii Blume (family Moraceae) is a large, deciduous tree, and its leaves are effective to heal bruises, wounds and menstrual problems. Iphiona scabra DC. ex Decne. (family Asteraceae) is an annual glandular-hairy, viscid low shrub. The plant is used as an antispasmodic drug. Phytochemical investigation of the roots of Elephantopus scaber afforded a new lupene-type triterpenic ester characterized as lup-12, 20(29)-dien- 3α-olyl 3',7',11',15'-tetramethylhexadecanoate (lup-12, 20(29)-dien- 3α-olyl phytanoate, 1). The leaves of Ficus rumphii gave a new phenolic compound identified as 1-isopentanyl-3,4-dioxomethylene- 2-phenol (2). The leaves of Iphiona scabra yielded a new sesquiterpenic carboxylic acid characterized as caryophylla-3-en-2α-ol 12-oic acid (3), a long chain aliphatic alcohol, viz., 1-tetracosanol (lignoceryl alcohol) (4), and three phenolic derivatives formulated as 1,3-dihydroxy-4-acetyl benzene (4-acetyl resorcinol, 5), 1,2-dihydroxy-4,5-diacetyl benzene (4,5-diacetyl catechol, 6) and 1-(m-cresol)-2-(m-cresol)-ethane (1,2-bis-m-cresol ethane, 7).

Keywords: Elephantopus scaber roots, Ficus rumphii leaves, Iphiona scabra leaves, phytoconstituents, isolation, characterization.