Isolation and Structural Elucidation of Bioactive Phytoconstituents from Selected Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Medicinal plants are an important source of novel chemical entities that possess diverse therapeuticactivities and contribute significantly to the prevention and treatment of various diseases in livingorganisms. These plants are rich in secondary metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols,glycosides, tannins and saponins which exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. Thesebioactive phytoconstituents interact with various biological pathways and molecular targets, therebyproducing a wide range of therapeutic effects and contributing to the discovery and development ofeffective drug candidates. Owing to their diverse pharmacological properties, phytoconstituents providesubstantial therapeutic benefits and continue to play a significant role in modern medicine. Theyfunction as potent antioxidants that neutralize free radicals which protects cells from damage andlowering the risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, cancer anddiabetes. Many of these compounds display strong anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and evenanticancer properties by regulating cell growth and boosting immune responses. Thus, the present studyinvolves extraction, isolation and characterisation of bioactive constituents of selected medicinal plants.The dried root powder was used for preparation of extracts of Delphinium denudatum wall. and Berberisaristata DC. Isolation of individual phytoconstituents was achieved through column chromatographicseparation of the extracts. The isolated fractions were subsequently subjected to chromatographic andspectroscopic analyses to determine their chemical identity and structural characteristics.