Antioxidant isolation and characterization from the plant Tradescantia spathacea Sw. of the Commelinaceae family

Abstract

A novel bioactive flavan glycoside was isolated by solvent extraction method with the help of Soxhlet apparatus from the methanolic extract of Tradescantia spathacea Sw. Flavan glycoside having molecular formula C20H22O10, melting point 175-1780C, molecular weight by ESI-MS m/z (M + H]+ 423, optical rotation was[α]21 D-45.1(c 0.20 methanol). Its structure was determined (–)-epicatechin 7-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside. Various color reactions, chemical degradation (like acid hydrolysis, permethylation, and enzymatic hydrolysis), UV-Visible spectrophotometry, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to establish the structure of compound (–)-(–)-epicatechin 7-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside.. A flavan glycoside was also tested with a DPPH assay method for antioxidant activity by using Ascorbic acid as standard. DPPH radical scavenging test data demonstrate that a flavan glycoside possesses potent antioxidant activity so this flavan glycoside can be utilized as a potent antioxidant agent.