ALIPHATIC CONSTITUENTS OF TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS L. FRUITS AND DURANTA ERECTA L. LEAVES AND AN AROMATIC ESTER FROM PEDALIUM MUREX L. FRUITS

Shahnaz Sultana, Mohammed Ali*, Showkat Rassol Mir, Gulshan Chaudhari and Nutan Kaushik

ABSTRACT

Tribulus terrestris L. (Family: Zygophyllaceae) is used to treat abdominal, liver, urethra and urinary tract disorders, calculus affections, cystitis, dysuria, edema, gonorrhea, gout, impotency, influenza, kidney stones, leucorrhea, mastitis, micturition, piles, rheumatism, spermatorrhoea, venereal diseases and vitiligo. Duranta erecta L. (Family Verbenaceae) is utilized to cure asthma, bronchitis, fevers, infertility, intestinal worms, malaria, menstrual and neuralgic disorders, pneumonia and skin diseases. The leaves and fruits of Pedalium murex L. (Family Pedaliaceae) are prescribed to relieve amenorrhea, asthma, colds, cough, dropsy, fevers, flatulence, gonorrhea, inflammation, impotency, leucorrhoea, puerperal diseases, rheumatism, skin diseases, spasmodic affections, spermatorrhoea, urethral stones, venereal diseases and wounds. A petroleum ether fraction of a methanolic extract of the fruits of T. terrestris on GC-MS analysis showed the presence mainly of fifteen aliphatic alcohols (91.8%) including n- tetracosan-4-ol (26.3 %), n-dotriacont-3-en-29-ol (17.3 %), n- pentacosan-4-ol (14.8 %), n-octacos-3,7-dien-25-ol (5.1%), n-tetradec-2,4-dien-7-ol, n- pentadecan-5,6-diol, heptan-2,5-diol, n-henetriacontan-5,21,26-triacontan-5,21,26-triol, n-tritriacont-19,22,27-trien-3-ol and isopentanol. The methanolic extract of the fruits on concentration furnished β-sitosterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1). The methanolic extracts of the leaves of Duranta erecta and fruits of Pedalium murex on subjection to silica gel column afforded n-dotriacontan-12α, 21α-diol (2) and 5′β-hydroxytridecanyl benzoate (3), respectively, as the new phytoconstituents.

Keywords: Tribulus terrestris, Duranta erecta, Pedalium murex, Chemical constituents.