Bioassay-directed isolation of oxytocic principles from the methanol extract of Monechma ciliatum

The hot methanol extract (HME) of Monechma ciliatum which has been reported to have potent oxytocic activity was purified by fractionation in an attempt to isolate the oxytocic principle. Thin layer analysis indicated that the oxytocic fraction was very polar. A positive reaction with ninhydrin‐spra...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytotherapy research 1999-12, Vol.13 (8), p.696-699
Main Authors: Uguru, M.O, Ekwenchi, M.M, Evans, F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
bioassay
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Assay - methods
Female
General pharmacology
Leucine - analysis
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Mass Spectrometry
Medical sciences
medicinal plants
Medicine, African Traditional
Methanol - chemistry
Monechma ciliatum
Muscle Contraction - drug effects
Muscle Contraction - physiology
Muscle, Smooth - drug effects
Muscle, Smooth - physiology
oxytocic principle
Oxytocics - isolation & purification
Oxytocics - pharmacology
Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Plant Extracts - isolation & purification
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Plants, Medicinal - chemistry
Rats
Rats, Wistar
traditional medicine
Tyrosine - analysis
uterus
Uterus - drug effects
Uterus - physiology
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The hot methanol extract (HME) of Monechma ciliatum which has been reported to have potent oxytocic activity was purified by fractionation in an attempt to isolate the oxytocic principle. Thin layer analysis indicated that the oxytocic fraction was very polar. A positive reaction with ninhydrin‐spray suggested that it is an amino acid/protein. Repeated column chromatography (CC) on silica gel followed by sephadex LH‐20 column, accompanied by bioassay of the fractions on the rat isolated uterus enabled partial isolation of the oxytocic principle (P3) to be achieved. Although the exact structure of P3 could not be identified from the present study, various spectral analyses suggest that it is a small peptide made up of tyrosine, leucine and a third component which is probably serine. It is interesting to note that the parent compound, oxytocin, is also a peptide with tyrosine and leucine in its structure. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0951-418X
1099-1573
DOI:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199912)13:8<696::AID-PTR549>3.0.CO;2-7