Isolation and Characterization of Bioactive Components Derived from Whole Plant of Selaginella bryopteris

Abstract

Natural products and herbal remedies used in traditional folklore medicine have been the source of many medically beneficial drugs because they elicit fewer side effects, relatively cheap, affordable and claimed to be effective. However, in order to make these remedies acceptable to modern medicine, there is a need to scientifically evaluate them to identify the active principles and to understand their mechanism of action. Selaginella bryopteris (S. bryopteris) is a pteridophytic plant belongs to the family selaginellaceae. Its familiar name is sanjeevani booti. The aim of the present investigation was isolation and characterization of active components derived from whole plant of S. bryopteris. The plant was extracted with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol solvent. The preliminary phytochemical results revealed that alkaloids, carbohydrates, reducing sugar, flavonoids, protein, amino acid, tannin and phenolic compound as active constituents in methanolic extract of S. bryopteris. The total phenolics content of whole plant of methanolic extract was (184.13±0.416 mg/gm), followed by flavonoids (89.67±2.516mg/gm). The quantification and the identification of compounds in the crude extract and active bands isolated by preparative TLC were accomplished using spectroscopic analysis. The most important compounds amentoflavone identified in the crude extract appreciable amounts may account for its various biological activities.
 Keywords: Selaginella bryopteris, Isolation, Plant extraction, Phytochemical