lipid and flavonoidal constituents of Herniaria nemistemon J.gay and their biological activity

ABSTRACT

The LIPID content of Herniaria nemistemon grown in Egypt was studied. The unsaponifiable fraction was identified by GLC. A series of hydrocarbons ranging from C[20]-C[32], in addition to cholesterol, campasterol, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, and the triterpenoid alpha-amyrin, as well as fatty alcohol fraction ranging from C[31]-C[38] were identified. The fatty acid fraction revealed the presence of the 14 fatty acids in which palmitic acid [21.62%] represented the major constituent. The flavonoidal constituents isolated from the chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of aqueous alcoholic extract of H. nemistemon were identified as kaempferol, quercetin-3-O-glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, kaempferol 7-O-rhamnoglucosyl, vitexin and kaempferol 4'-methyl ether, using PC, TLC, UV,[1] H-NMR and MS analysis. The different extracts and isolated compounds were evaluated for antioxidant activity against [DPPH]. The ethyl acetate extract possessed the highest antioxidant activity followed by chloroform extract, and the fraction containing triterpene and sterols presented a relatively strong antioxidant effect, also it was found that all the isolated flavonoidal compounds showed high activity. The different extracts and isolated compounds of the plant exhibited no cytotoxic activity against Ehrlich-ascites carcinoma cell line at the tested concentrations