PHYTOCHEMlCAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCREENING OF THE FRUIT, LEAVES AND BARK OF ERYTHRINA SENEGALENSIS D.C
PHYTOCHEMlCAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCREENING OF THE FRUIT, LEAVES AND BARK OF ERYTHRINA SENEGALENSIS D.C
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Date
1996
Authors
KPAMIOSEH, ANTHONY OGBECHE
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Abstract
The fruits, leaves and bark of Erythrina senegalensis D.C.
(family leguminoseae), a savannah shrub widely distributed in
West Africa and employed in traditional medicine in Northern
Nigeria to treat jaundice and other ailments such as dropsy
gonnorhoea and also as a muscle relaxanthave been chemically
and pharmacologically investigated;
General phytochemical screening carried out on the crude
extracts of the plant revealed the presence of alkaloids in high
quantities in the bark as compared to the leaves and fruits while
glycosides, saponins, steroidal substances were found in moderate
quantities in all parts of the plant investigated.
Three components were isolated from the various extracts
from the
of the plant coded ESMB as a new compound/methanolic extract of the
stem bark,ESFP from the petroleum ether extract of the fruit and
ESLP, from the petroleum ether extract of the leaves. On the
basis of their chemical and spectral data (I.R, U.V., NMR and MS)
.ESMB. was shown to be Methyl erythrina, while the petroleum
spirit extract of the fruit contained among others 1 myristo-
o-2stearo-3-palmitin
coded ESFP... The third component coded ESPL
was isolated from the petroleum spirit extract of the leaves which
on the basis of the spectral evidence was shown to be n-octadecanoic
acid. Pharmacologically the methanolic extract of the
fruits and leaves of the Erythrina senegalensis relaxed rhythmic
contraction or pendular movement of the smooth muscle of rabbit
jejunum while the methanolic extract of leaves and bark of the
plant contracted isolated guinea pig ileum just like acetylcholine
which was blocked by a competitive antagonist atropine. The
bioassay of the leaves, fruits and bark of methanolic extract
showed a gradual increase in neuromuscular blockade as the
doses of the extract was increased. This blockade occurs at
the application of acetylcholine which produces contraction
and methanolic extract of the leaves, fruits and bark to the
skeletal muscle of the frog. The crude extract specifically
blocked Ach induced spasms. The spasmolytic ED against Ach
for methanolic leave extract was 1.26 x 10 g/ml, for fruits
-4 -7
extract was 6.61 x 10 g/ml and for bark extract was 2.85 x 10 '
g/ml. Their potency ratio relative to methanolic fruit extract
was found to be 3.46 x 10 g/ml while that of leaves extract was
1.82 x 10-3g/ml and the bark 8.035 x 10"" g/ml. Since their
potency ratio was less than 1, tubocurarine was found to be more
potent than the crude extract of fruits and leaves of Erythrina
senegalensis while the bark had similar potency as D-_tubocurarine.
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmaceutical
and Medicinal Chemistry) in the Department of
Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria.
Keywords
PHYTOCHEMICAL, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCREENING OF THE FRUIT, LEAVES AND BARK OF ERYTHRINA SENEGALENSIS D.C., PHARMACOLOGICAL,, SCREENING,, FRUIT,, LEAVES,, BARK,, ERYTHRINA,, SENEGALENSIS,, D.C.,