Isolation Procedure of Chemical Composition in ethyl acetate from Selaginella tamariscina

Abstract

    Selaginella tamariscina was picked in Quang Ngai province and studied with the aim of finding out the chemical compositions in ethyl acetate solvent by isolating and determining the structure of its chemical component. Extraction of Selaginella tamariscina (7.3 kg) using Soxlet method with the solvents of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol in turn gave corresponding extracts after vaporization of the solvents. Column chromatography and thin layer chromatography of the ethyl acetate extract (50.2 g) on silica gel, RP-18 and Sephadex LH-20 with different solvent systems led to isolation of two compounds. Based on data of ¹H and ¹³C NMR, as well as comparison of literature, the structure of these compounds were identified as a chromone, 5,7-dihydroxy-2,6,8-trimethylchromone (1) and a steroidal glycoside, stigmast-5,22-dien-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2). This is the first time these compounds have been found in Selaginella tamariscina in Vietnam and the world. Furthermore, chemical study of remaining fractions are being carried out to collect more compounds in order to test for biological activity such as anticarcinogenic, anti-oxidant or anti-inflammatory.