Preliminary Studies on Activity Guided Fractionation of the Ethanolic Extract of Dried Flowers of Aegle Marmelos

Abstract

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Aegle marmelos is a reputed medicinal plant with many biologically active compounds. Activity guided fractionation of the ethanolic extract of dried flowers of Aegle marmelos,' based on the anti-inflammatory and hypoglycaemic effect was studied in the present study. The ethanolic extract was partitioned into ethyl acetate and hexane and the fractions were tested for anti-inflammatory and hypoglycaemic effect in rats. The volatile compounds in ethyl acetate and hexane fraction were analyzed by GC-MS. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic effect and it was further separated by column and thin layer chromatography. All the fractions were subjected to phytochemical screening. Alpha-phellandrene and eugenol was the most abundant volatile compound identified in the ethyl acetate and hexane fractions respectively. The fraction which showed the highest anti-inflammatory effect contained poly phenols and triterpenoids and its FTIR spectrum exhibited the presence of O-H/NH/C=0/C-C1 and C=C groups. The fraction with the highest hypoglycaemic effect contained coumarins and flavonoids and the FTIR spectrum exhibited the presence of OH/N-H/C=0 and C=C groups. The identified monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes may responsible for the typical aroma of the extracts of dried flowers of A. marmelos while triterpenoids, coumarins and flavonoids may responsible for the anti-inflammatory andhypoglycaemic effect of the ethanolic extract of dried flowers of A. marmelos.