Potential therapeutic agents from Pterocarpus Osun bioactive extracts: Isolation and characterization

In traditional African medicine, Pterocarpus Osun has found application in the treatment of several illnesses, such as cough, diarrhoea, eczema, and malaria. Examining the chemical components of the plant that give it its biological and therapeutic properties was the aim of this study. Pterocarpus Osun leaf and stem bark were extracted using ethyl acetate, methanol, and n-hexane. Extracts obtained were chromatographed on silica gel using column chromatography, yielding pure isolates. These isolates were identified and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared techniques. Six known pharmacologically and biologically active compounds: squalene, 9,12-Octadienoic acid methyl ester, maslinic acid, sitosterol, and stigmasterol are reported here as isolates from the leaf and stembark of Pterocarpus Osun, probably for the first time, as there is little or no known information about these compounds ever being obtained from the plant.