CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS FROM THE ROOTS OF TRICHODESMA INDICUM (L.) R. BR.

Mohammed Ali*, Shahnaz Sultana and Showkat Rassol Mir

ABSTRACT

Trichodesma indicum (L.) R. Br. (family Boraginaceae), found throughout India, is an erect, annual, branched, scabrous, and spreading herb. Its roots are useful to treat diarrhea, children’s dysentery, fever, joint swellings, skin injuries, snake bites and for expulsion of dead foetus. Our study was planned to isolate chemical constituents from the methanolic extracts of the roots of T. indicum and to characterize their structures on the basis spectral data analysis. Phytochemical investigation of the methanolic extract led to isolate two known fatty acid esters identified as n-decanyl dodecanoate (decyl laurate, 1), and n-tetradecyl dodecanoate (myristyl laurate, 2), a new saturated aliphatic ketones characterized as n-pentacosan-12-one (3), an unknown fatty acid ester formulated as nonacosan-1-oyl n-dodecanoate (nonacosanyl myristate, 4), an unsaturated carbonyl compound identified as (Z)-n-dotriacont-13-en-9-one (5), a rare steroidal ketone and its structure was determined as stigmat-5-en-3β -ol-23-one (β- sitosterol 23-one, 6), an unfamiliar steroidal lactone and its structure was established as stigmast-5-en-3 β-ol-21(24)-olide (7) and a triterpenic lactonic glucoside with the structure elucidated as lanast-5,20(22)-dien-3 β-olyl-3-O-D-glucopyranosyl-21(24)-olide (8).

Keywords: Trichodesma indicum, roots, phytoconstituents, isolation, characterization.