CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS FROM THE WHOLE PLANTS OF CRESSA CRETICA L., KYLLINGA TRICEPS ROTTB. AND VERNONIA AMYGDALINA DELILE

Nishant Verma, Mohammed Ali*, Showkat Rassol Mir, Shamim Ahmad and Shahnaz Sultana

ABSTRACT

Cressa cretica L. (Convolvulaceae) is a densely branching subshrub used to treat anaemia, anorexia, asthma, bronchitis, colic, constipation, general debility, diabetes, dyspepsia, flatulence, leprosy, skin disease, urinary discharges and uterine tumours. Kyllinga triceps Rottb. is a perennial, clustered herb and its rhizomes and roots are effective to relieve arthritis, bronchitis, common colds, cough, dermatitis, diabetes, fever, fistula, hepatopathy, injuries, malaria, thirst in fevers, splenopathy and tumours. Vernonia amygdalina Delile (Asteraceae) is a much branched, spreading tree and its leaves are utilized to cure amoebic dysentery, diabetes, liver diseases, malaria and other fevers, menstruation pain, skin, sexual and viral diseases and wound healing. Our study was planned to isolate chemical constituents from the methanolic extracts of these plants and to characterize their structures. Phytochemical investigation of the whole plant of C. cretica gave two flavonols characterized as quercetin (1) and luteolin -7-O-α-D-rhamnopyranoside (2). The plant methanolic extract of K. triceps afforded two new acyclic monoterpenic esters identified as 1-hydroxygeranilan -10-olyl benzoate (3) and 7α- salicyloxygeranilane (4) and a steroidal ester recognized as stigmast-5,22E-dien-3beta-yl octadecenoate (stigmasterol 3-stearate, 5). The methanolic extract of V. amygdalina plant furnished a new monoterpenic xyloside and its structure was elucidated as geranilanyl-1-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (6).

Keywords: Cressa cretica, Kyllinga triceps, Vernonia amygdalina, whole plants, phytoconstituents, isolation, characterization.