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Chemical Constituents of Descurainia sophia L. and its Biological Activity

Nawal H. Mohamed and Atta E. Mahrous

Aromatic and medicinal plants Depart. Desert Research Center , Cairo , Egypt . 11753

Genetic Engineering and Biotech. Research Inst., Minofia Univ. Minofia , Egypt . 79/22857

Abstract: Seven coumarin compounds were isolated for the first time from the aerial parts of Descurainia Sophia L. identified as scopoletine, scopoline, isoscopoline, xanthtoxol, xanthtoxin, psoralene and bergaptane. Three flavonoids namely kaempferol, quercetine and isorhamnetine and three terpenoid compounds β-sitosterol β-amyrine and cholesterol were also isolated and identified by physical and chemical methods; melting point, R f values, UV and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of free and protein amino acids using amino acid analyzer were performed. The plant contains 15 amino acids as free and protein amino acids with different range of concentrations. Fatty acid analysis using GLC, revealed the presence of 10 fatty acids, the highest percentage was palmitic acid (27.45 %) and the lowest was lauric acid (0.13%). Biological screening of alcoholic extract showed that the plant is highly safe and has analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Keywords: Descurainia Sophia ; coumarins; flavonoids; terpenoids; biological activity.