Isolation of new diterpene from methanolic extract of Capsicum annuum Linn. fruits

Solanum pseudocapsicum vs Capsicum annum; comparative phenolics profiling using green ultrasonic extraction and UHPLC analysis

BACKGROUND

Solanum pseudocapsicum (PC) and Capsicum annum (CA) belongs to the family of Solanaceae. CA have been reported a rich source of phenolics whereas, the phenolics content of GA (gallic acid), SC (scopoletin), RA (rosmarinic acid), and RV (resveratrol) are yet to be reported for the PC-fruit. This study comparatively evaluates the phenolics profile for different parts (seeds and skin) and colors (green and red) of the PC- and CA-fruits using the green solvents of ethanol (ET), acetone (AC), water (H2O), and different combinations of these solvents.

METHODOLOGY

Ultrasonics extraction (US) and UHPLC analysis were employed for phenolics evaluation.

RESULTS

The USMD (method development) revealed the highest extract yield of 62 mg/100 mg for the PC-skin in ET:AC (70:30) solvent whereas, more phenolics (ppm) were observed for PC-seeds in ET:AC (50:50) solvent, particularly the SC (29.46) and GA (16.92). The UHPLCMDMV exhibited significant accuracies (100.70-114.14 %) with r2-values (0.9993-0.9997) in the linearity range of 1-200 ppm. The USMV (method validation) in PC- and CA-fruit parts and colors revealed more extract yields for the red skin part of the PC- (180.5 mg) and CA-fruit (126.2 mg). The phenolics were seen more in the green seeds of the PC-fruit (ppm); SC (276), GA (147.36), RV (28.54), and RA (23.87) followed by the green PC-skin, and red/green CA-seeds. The statistical models of mean differences, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation showed significant differences for the PC-fruit parts (seeds and skin) and colors (red and green) vs extract yield and phenolics content (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PC-and CA-fruits were successfully evaluated where the seeds for the green fruits exhibited more phenolics amount.

Chemical Characterization and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Phytoconstituents from Swertia alata

Swertia alata C.B Clarke (Gentianaceae) is a well-reported plant in the traditional system of medicine. The present study was intended to isolate the phytoconstituents from the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of S. alata; and evaluate for in vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition activity, in vivo anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activity. Phytoisolation involved partitioning of S. alata ethanolic extract into petroleum ether and chloroform soluble fractions using silica gel-based column chromatography. The isolation afforded two phytoisolates, namely oleanolic acid (SA-1) and 3-hydroxylup-12-(13)-ene-17-carboxylic acid (SA-4). Phytoisolates structures were established by melting point, ultraviolet (UV), attenuated total reflection-Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and HMBC) and mass spectrometry. Phytoisolates were further evaluated for in vitro cyclooxygenase (COX-1/COX-2) inhibitory activity, in vivo anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic activity. The study revealed SA-4 (COX-1/COX-2 inhibition activity of 104/61.68 µM with % inhibition of 61.36) to be more effective than SA-1 (COX-1/COX-2 inhibition activity of 128.4/87.25 µM, with % inhibition of 47.72). SA-1 and SA-4, when subjected to ulcerogenic study, exhibited significant gastric tolerance. The current study reports chromatographic isolation and spectrometric characterization of SA-1 and SA-4. The present study concludes that compound SA-4 possess significant anti-inflammatory activity and less irritant property over gastric mucosa with no significant ulcerogenicity in comparison to indomethacin.