Extraction, Isolation and Structure Elucidation of a Bioactive Constituent from Chloroform Extract of Moringa concanensis Leaves

Moringa concanensis Nimmo. (Moringaceae) is a wild plant found in India. Traditionally, tribes used this plant as an antioxidant, anticancer, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, antifertility, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic. In the present study, the leaves of Moringa concanensis were subjected to successive solvent extraction with five different solvents of increasing polarity, i.e., petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water, followed by a phytochemical screening of each extract. The phytochemical study indicated the presence of terpenoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, tannins, and phenolics. The chloroform extract showed the presence of cardiac glycosides (cardenolides); therefore, a RP-HPLC method was developed to identify the number of constituents in the extract. The extract was recrystallized to isolate the single component and to gain the desired purity for further spectral analysis. Different spectral data from UV-Visible, Infrared, Mass, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy were analyzed and the isolated chemical constituent was identified.