Isolation and structure elucidation of secondary metabolites from Echinophora platyloba DC from Iran

Echinophora platyloba DC [Apiaceae] is one of the two endemic species of Echinophora genus in Iran. It has many folkloric uses and several biological activities but there is no information about its phytoconstituents. In this work some of the secondary metabolites were isolated, purified and identified from n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from the aerial parts and root of this plant for the first time. Resulting extracts were subjected to column chromatography using EtOAc/n-hexane as eluent. Further purifications were carried out using preparative TLC and recrystallization techniques. Characterization of compounds were established using spectroscopic data [[1]H-NMR, [13]C-NMR, MS and FT-IR], and by comparing with the literature. Stigmasterol, Sitosterol, Stigmasterol-beta-D-glycoside and Saccharose were purified from these extracts and their chemical structures were characterized. Several phytosterols were isolated from various extracts of aerial parts and great amount of saccharose was purified from the sweet root of the plant

relation between molecular properties of drugs and their transport across the intestinal membrane

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the intestinal absorption of structurally diverse model drugs across the rat intestinal mucosa and their molecular properties. Permeability coefficients for 13 compounds were determined in anaesthetized rats. Drug solution in phosphate buffered saline [PBS] was perfused through the intestinal segment with flow rate of 0.21 ml/min and samples were taken from outlet tubing at different time points up to 90 min. The permeability values ranged from 1.6 x [10-5] to 2 x [10-4] cm/sec for atenolol and ibuprofen respectively. Molecular properties of drugs including the number of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, log P, logD, topological polar surface area and number of rotatable bonds were considered. The results indicated that compounds which meet 10 or fewer number of rotatable bonds and topological surface area equal to or less than 140 A° have a high probability of good intestinal permeability and fraction of dose which is absorbed in human. Moreover the results indicated that lower number of hydrogen bond counts and higher logD and logP values are associated with higher permeability and bioavailabilty of drugs. Therefore the experimental and computational methods could be used for the prediction of intestinal drug permeability