Chemical composition, antioxidant activity and general toxicity of the aerial parts of Ecaballium elaterium

Abstract

Introduction: The plants of Cucurbitacea family have been considered as valuable herbal remedies which they mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical areas. Ecballium genus includes 965 species. In this study, the chemical composition and biological activity of Ecballium elaterium have been investigated. Scope: Regarding the importance of reported biological effects of this family, it seems to be rational to start phytochemical studies on this genus.

Materials and Methods: The aerial parts of this species were extracted using n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol by Soxhlet apparatus. Dried methanolic extract was subjected to C18 Sep-Pak using a step gradient of MeOH-Water. Further purification of the fractions by preparative reversed phase HPLC yielded 3 compounds. Structure elucidation was accomplished by using 1HNMR and 13CNMR method. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation in a Clevenger extractor. The composition of essential oil was determined by GC-MS. Free-radical scavenging activity, general toxicity, total phenol and total flavonoid contents of extracts and fractions were evaluated using DPPH radicals, Folin-ciocalteu and AlCl3 reagents, respectively. Results: Phytochemical study of the methanolic extract of this plant yielded two flavonoids and one naphtalen structure. The study on the composition of the essential oil yielded 17 compounds which were mainly composed of ketons and Ester of fatty acids. The MeOH extract showed strong antioxidant activity compared to the other extracts. In regards to fractions, 40%, showed the most potent antioxidant activity as well as high phenol and flavonoid contents. In brine shrimp lethality assay, the extracts didn’t show any general toxicity. Conclusion: Presence of phenolic derivatives especially flavonoids seems to be an important antioxidant compounds in methanolic extract and might be useful in inflammatory conditions, cancer prevention and oxidative stresses.