ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LUPEOL FROM ECHINOPS ECHINATUS ROXB. ROOT

Amish J. Patel

ABSTRACT

Echinops echinatus Roxb, (Asteraceae) is a pubescent annual herb of 1-3 ft height with branches widely spreading from the base. The Plant is bitter, increases the appetite and stimulates liver; used in diseases of the brain, pains in the joints, inflammations, etc. Roots and root bark of the plant are used in various indigenous systems of medicine for treating different ailments. The present work deals with isolation and characterization of Lupeol from the dried roots of Echinops echinatus Roxb. The petroleum ether extract of the root of Echinops echinatus Roxb was subjected to further fractionation followed by pilot thin layer chromatographic (TLC) experiments and column chromatography. This yielded a pure, white, crystalline solid which resolved at Rf 0.65 upon TLC of chloroform fraction of the petroleum ether extract using the mobile phase toluene:methanol (9:1). This compound was subjected to IR spectroscopy. Results showed that peak obtained at various wave lengths due to various groups, moiety and arrangements of atoms in compounds are identical with standard Lupeol confirming the isolated compound is Lupeol.

Keywords: Echinops echinatus Roxb, Roots, Lupeol, IR spectroscopy, Thin layer chromatographic (TLC).