Abstract

A new compound was isolated from the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of the aerial parts of Myrsine africana. The compound was eluted with mobile phase of EtOAc and n-hexane at a ratio of 0.2:9.8. The structure of the compound was identified with the help of ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-NMR, heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC), nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) and correlation spectroscopy (COSY). The crude methanolic extract and various fractions of the aerial parts of the plant were also screened for anti-inflammatory activity. The EtOAc and n-hexane fractions of the plant showed moderate (44.8 and 40.9%, respectively) anti-inflammatory activity, while the rest of the fractions and crude extract showed low activity at concentration of 500 µg/ml against human neutrophils.

Key words: Myrsine africana, anti-inflammatory activity, indomethacin.

Abbreviation

NMR, Nuclear magnetic resonance; TMS, tetramethylsilane; TLC,thin layer chromatography; CC, column chromatography; HMBC, heteronuclear multiple bond correlation; HMQC, heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence;HSQC, heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectroscopy; MHS, Modified Hank’s solution;