STUDY ON PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ISOLATION STEROIDAL SAPONIN FROM THE LEAVES OF DRACAENA FRAGRANS (L.) KER GAWL.

Abstract

Dracaena fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl., belongs to the Dracaena genus, thus the Asparagaceae family, is distributed mainly in Southeast Asia, West Africa and Viet Nam. This plant has planted for ornamental purpose. In this study, the flavonoid, steroid, cardiac glycoside and steroidal saponin were found present in the ethanolic extract from the leaves of D. fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl., but not for alkaloid, terpenoid and saponin triterpenoid. The isolation of a steroidal saponin was achieved from this extract, and the structure of this compound was further established as 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22-methoxy-5α-furost-(25)27-ene-1β,3β,4,26-tetraol 1-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fucopyranoside. Further experiments were suggested to isolate other components in the ethanolic extract from the leaves of C. terminalis, and in combination with biological evaluations on those compounds in order to complete the chemotaxonomic data of D. fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl. and the genus Dracaena.