Phytochemical Analysis of the Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Asarum europaeum L. Rhizomes

Background and objectives: Asarum europaeum L. belongs to the family Aristolochiaceae, known as asarum or European wild ginger. It has been traditionally used to treat various diseases such as improvement and enhancement of memory. Herein, phytochemical analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction of the methanol extract of A. europaeum rhizomes was conducted to identify compounds that have not been previously reported for this plant. Methods: Isolation of compounds was achieved using column chromatography of the ethyl acetate fraction eluting with appropriate solvents based on their polarity. The structure of isolated compounds was elucidated using NMR spectroscopy compared with authentic data recorded in the literature. Results: Three compounds including bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (1), 4-(3-glucopyranosyloxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-(E)-3-buten-2-one (2), and neohesperidin (2R) (3) were isolated and identified. Conclusion: This study described the isolation and identification of the structure of secondary metabolites that have not been previously reported for A. europaeum to open new horizons to drug discovery developments.