PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FRUITS OF ZANTHOXYLUM ARMATUM DC.

Shahnaz Sultana, Mohammed Ali* and Showkat Rassol Mir

ABSTRACT

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. (family Rutaceae) is a thorny shrub or small tree found in south eathern Asia. Its fruits and seeds are used to treat arthritis, asthma, blood diseases, bronchitis, bruises, cancer, cholera, diabetes, depression, digestive impairment, dyspepsia, earache, fever, fibrositis, headache, heart diseases, microbial infections, piles, roundworms, skin diseases, swellings, toothache and worms. Our study was planned to isolate chemical constituents from a methanolic extract of the fruits of this plant and to characterize their structures on the basis spectral data analysis. Phytochemical investigation of the fruits of Z. armatum led to isolate two aromatic esters identified as 2, 8-dimethyl-non-4 (Z)-en-8-ol-2-olyl benzoate (1) and 2, 10-dimethyl-undec-6- (Z)-en-10-ol-2-olyl benzoate (2), two flavanols characterized as 7,8,4-trimethoxy-3,5-dihydroxyflavanol (tambulin, 3) and 3,5,8-trihydroxy-7, 4′-dimethoxyflavanol (4) and 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenoxy-3′,4′,5′-trihydroxybenzene (5). The structures of isolated chemical constituents were established on the basis of analysis of spectral data and chemical means.

Keywords: Zanthoxylum armatum, fruits, phytoconstituents, isolation, structure elucidation.