WITHANOLIDES OF WITHANIA SOMNIFERA L. DUNAL GROWING WILD IN EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

2 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

 Three Withanolides (Substances A,B, and C) were isolated from the alcoholic extract of the Egyptian Withania somnifera wild plants. Substance A and substance C were identified by IR, NMR and Mass spectral data. Substance A appears to be a configurational isomer of Withanolide E and substance C is 4-hydroxy derivative of substance A. Substance A is identified as 14,17,20-trihydroxy-5B,6B-epoxy-1-oxo-Witha-2,24-dienolide (I) and substance C as 4,14,17,20-tetrahydroxy-5B, 6B-epoxy-1-oxo-witha-2,24-dienolide(II).
This is the first report of isolation and characterization of substance C from Withania somnifera or the genus Withania. Substance B would be the subject of a further report.