GC-MS ANALYSIS AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF METHANOL EXTRACT OF LEAVES OF HYPERICUM HOOKERIANUM WIGHT & ARN
Objective: The present investigation was an attempt to study the anticancer activity of the methanol extract of the leaves of H. hookerianum. GC-MS analysis revealed that the methanol extract of leaves contained important secondary metabolites viz. oxygenated hydrocarbons and phenolic hydrocarbons. These phytochemicals w e r e p r e s u m e d responsible for various pharmacological actions like antioxidant, and anticancer activities. Cytotoxic changes observed in MCF 7 cell line by the treatment of methanol extract included cell aggregation, cell rounding and cell death. The overall result indicates that the methanol extract of leaves of H. hookerianum showed promising baseline information for its potential use as an anti cancer agent.
Spectrometric identifications of sesquiterpene alcohols from niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia) essential oil
Oxidation and reduction reactions on alloaromadendrene and aromadendrene sesquiterpene hydrocarbons have been investigated in order to produce alcohols with an aromadendrene skeleton for checking the chemical structure and therefore the identity of one main alcohol present in niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia) essential oil. Oxidation using m-chloroperbenzoic acid was carried out to produce two diastereoisomer epoxides and two corresponding aldehyde isomers for each sesquiterpene. Epoxide reductions yielded two alcohols ledol and viridiflorol, from alloaromadendrene and globulol and epiglobulol from aromadendrene. The structure determination of all compounds, i.e. epoxides, aldehydes, and alcohols, was achieved using spectrometric methods: 2D-NMR and mass spectroscopy. The stereochemistry of known sesquiterpenic alcohols, viridiflorol and ledol, has been unambiguously established.
Phenylpropanoids and (−)-ledol from two Piper species
From the petrol extract of fruits of Piper clusii, three new phenylpropanoids, viz. 1-(2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydroxypropane, 1-(2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2-acetoxy-1-hydroxypropane and 1-(2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1,2-diacetoxypropane, were isolated, together with a new sesquiterpene enantiomer, (−)-ledol, and known lignans. A similar extract of the aerial parts of P. sumatranum var. andamanica furnished a new phenylpropanoid, 1-(2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-1-hydroxy-2-methoxy propane, besides known compounds: