The plant Conyza canadensis, which belongs to Asteraceae (Compositae) family and known as Canadian horseweed. It was used as traditional medicine in China, Pakistan, India, and Africa for the treatment of various diseases causing by bacteria, fungi, or viruses. The plant has antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer pharmacological activity. This study provides the first phytochemical investigation of the plant in Iraq and is concerned with extraction, fractionation, isolation, and purification of some of the important phytochemicals detected in the plant-like phenolic acids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Also, the literature survey has revealed that the plant has a substantial antimicrobial activity, so it was deemed desirable to make a study for the antimicrobial activity of the plant. The whole plant was collected from Baghdad city / College of Pharmacy/ University of Baghdad farm during July (2020). The aerial parts and roots were washed thoroughly, dried in shade, chopped, pulverized into a coarse powder, and then weighed. The shade-dried crushed plant materials were first defatted by maceration in hexane for 24 h. Then extracted by two extraction methods (hot method using soxhlet apparatus and cold method by maceration in solvent), using 85% aqueous ethanol as solvent extraction, and fractionated by petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The phytochemical screening of the ethanolic extract from both extraction methods revealed alkaloids, saponin glycosides, coumarins, flavonoids, steroids, phenolic compounds, proteins, anthraquinones, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides. However, depending on the percentage yields, the hot method yield was better than the cold method, so the extraction method by soxhlet was preferred upon maceration as it gives a higher percentage yield. The petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate fractions were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for their steroids, alkaloids, and polyphenolic (phenolic acids and flavonoids) contents, respectively. The different chromatographic results revealed the presence of stigmasterol and β- sitosterol in petroleum ether fraction, harmine alkaloid in chloroform fraction, quercetin, quercitrin, apigenin, p-coumaric acid, and caffeic acid in ethyl acetate fraction of the Iraqi C. canadensis plant. Three polyphenolics compounds (p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, apigenin) were isolated from ethyl acetate fraction by preparative thin-layer chromatography plates (PLC), and Harmine alkaloid was isolated from chloroform fraction by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a fraction collector. The isolated compounds were subjected to various chromatographic and spectral analytical techniques for their identification, such as TLC, FTIR, HPLC, and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Petroleum ether fraction was analyzed for the detection of coumarins by TLC. One compound was isolated, purified by PLC, symbolized as MS compound, and identified by FTIR and 1H -NMR since there is no standard available for this compound. The isolated MS compound could be pyranocoumarin glycoside. To investigate the essential oil composition of Iraqi C. canadensis, hydrodistillation of fresh aerial part of the plant was done using Clevenger-type apparatus for 3hr. The essential oils components and the hexane fraction obtained by maceration of the plant material in hexane solvent were identified using GC/MS analysis. The results of GC/MS analysis of the essential oil were abundant by hydrocarbon compounds, particularly by sesquiterpene hydrocarbon. This study also involves a preliminary determination of the antimicrobial activity of ethyl acetate fraction of the plant against two Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis), two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella sp.) and one fungi species (Candida albicans) by measuring the inhibition zone diameter around the hole in mm, compared with streptomycin and fluconazole standard drugs for antibacterial and antifungal activity, respectively. The antimicrobial results showed significant antibacterial activity against S.aureus (gram-positive bacteria) and important antifungal activity against Candida albicans. In contrast, no antibacterial activity was demonstrated against the tested gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity exerted against S. epidermidis (gram-positive bacteria) was affected by dilution dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
This study aimed to explore and separate the phytochemicals of the whole plant Conyza canadensis, a naturally growing plant in Iraq, since no phytochemical research was done previously in Iraq. The whole plant of C. canadensis was defatted by maceration in hexane for 24 hours. The defatted plant materials were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus, the aqueous ethanol 85% as a solvent extraction for 9 hours, and fractionated by petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for their steroids, alkaloids, and polyphenolic (phenolic acids and flavonoids) contents. One alkaloid was isolated from chloroform fractio
... Show MoreAnchusa strigosa L.: Hardy annual biennial or perennial herb, with hairs especially on the leaves., flowers generally regular. Commonly named (Lisan Althour) in Iraq, from Boraginaceae family. The plant contains phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols, and terpenoids. The Whole plant part defatted with n-hexane for 24 hours. The defatted plant material extracted using absolute methanol by Soxhlet apparatus for 24 hours, the extract fractionated by solvents of different polarity: petroleum ether- chloroform - ethylacetate- and n-butanol respectively. The n-butanol fraction hydrolyzed with 10% HCl for 5 hours by reflex to break down the glycosidic linkage. Rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, genistein, and silybin were isolated
... Show MoreBurdock ( Arctium lappa), is among the most popular plants in traditional medicine and it is associated with several biological effects. Literature survey revealed the presence of phenylpropanoid compounds .The most widespread are hydroxycinnamic acids ( mainly caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid) and lignans (mainly arctiin and arctigenin). This work will confirm the presence of these compounds in Arctium lappa, cultivated in Iraq, in both root and leaf samples. The dried plant samples were extracted by soxhlet with 80% methanol then separated the main constituents by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Identification of the isolated compounds wa
... Show MoreAmmi species belong to the family Umbellifereae that provide a host of bioactive compounds (mainly coumarins and flavonoids) of important biological activities, like prevention and treatment of heart and vascular disease and some types of cancer. Literature survey revealed that there was no study concerning Ammi flavonoids in Iraq. Ammi majus and Ammi visnaga, which are wildly grown in Iraq, were chosen for this study. This study concerned with extraction, identification, isolation, and purification of some biologically important flavonols quercetin and kaempferol from the fruits of Ammi majus and Ammi visnaga. Extraction of these flavonols was carried out using 85% methanol and 90% e
... Show MoreFree radicals are reactive compounds, their excessive production is considered to be an important cause of oxidative damage in biomolecules causing degenerative diseases. Polyphenols are one of the most important groups of secondary metabolites of plants, which have an antioxidant activity depending on their properties as hydrogen donors. Echinops polyceras Boiss. (Asteraceae) is one of Echinops genus species that spread in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. Phytochemicals found in this species leaves have been extracted with gradient polarity solvents, and primary screening of the secondary metabolites was established. The phenolic compounds and flavonoids contents were determined. The free radicals scavenging activity was evaluated for all
... Show MoreThe aim of our study was to investigate the antiviral activity of the Corchorus olitorius family Tiliaceae cultivated in Iraq against measles virus, and to demonstrate an overview about chemical constituents and pharmacological activity of Corchorus olitorius L.
About150 gm Leaves of Corchorus. olitorius were defatted by maceration in hexane for 24 hrs. The defatted plant materials were subjected for extraction after filtration using Soxhlet apparatus, with aqueous methanol 85% as a solvent extraction for 24 hours, the extract was filtered, and the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator to get a dry extract of about 12 gm. About 4 gm from the residue was suspended in 100
... Show MoreThe aim of the present study was to characterize the Iraqi Tribulus terrestris for the presence of biologically active phyto-chemicals using methanolic extracts of the plant (aerial parts) by Gas Chromatography –Mass spectrometry (GC/MS), while the mass spectra of the compounds found in the extract was matched with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library , in addition to study the antioxidant activity of plant extract , results confirmed the presence of therapeutically potent compounds in the Iraqi Tribulus terrestris extract predominantly alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and terpenoids. Antioxidant potential of Iraqi Tribulus terrestris
... Show MoreThis study was conducted to describe a protocol for the callus establishing culture of Lavandula angustifolia plant and estimating their content of volatile oil. The quantity of volatile oil callus tissues was compared with that of leaves production. Callus was induced from leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and Benzyl adenine (BA) in different concentrations. Maximum callus fresh weight was obtained in the combination of 10 mg/L BA and 3 mg/L NAA which reached 18 g after four weeks. The results of this work showed that the quantity of volatile oil from the highest fresh weight callus was 6 ml compared with quantity of 18g of leaves which gave 0.5 ml. Volatile o
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