Abstract

A 2,4,6-Trisubstituted Phenol and Trimethylsilyoxy Derivatives of Hydrocinnamic Acid and Benzene Acetic Acid from Cytotoxic Leaf Extract of Spondias mombin Linn (Anacardiaceae)

Author(s): Okwute SK, Ibikunle GF and Ogbadoyi EO

The leaves of the Nigerian plant, Spondias mombin, are traditionally used in the management of inflammations and cancers. The crude methanolic extract (SM0), the hexane-soluble fraction (SM1) and the sub-fractions (SM1-1-SM1-4 of the leaves were previously investigated andreported to be cytotoxic using brine shrimps test (BST). The sub-fractions SM1-1, SM1-2, and SM1-3 had LD50 values at 24 h as 4.63, 6.14 and 5.92 and LD90 values of 41.38, 47.72 and 45.68 µg/ml, respectively. The cytotoxic fractions have now been investigated for their chemical constituents by subjecting them to chromatographic purification to give a total of 63 fractions. Ten of these fractions were found to be strongly cytotoxic and in good quantity. Further purification of fraction P29 which was partially pure using preparative TLC on silica gel gave three compounds which were characterized using GC-MS, Proton and Carbon-13 NMR spectral analyses. The compounds were identified as hydrocinnamic acid, p, alpha-bis (trimethylsilyloxy), trimethylsilyl ester, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-[(2-octadecyloxycarbonyl) ethyl]-phenol and benzene acetic acid, alpha,-methyl-, alpha, 4-bis [(trimethylsilyl) oxy]-, methyl ester. These compounds may be responsible for the use of this plant in ethnomedicine for the management of inflammation and cancer.