Fagaramide and Pellitorine from the Stem Bark of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides and Their Antimicrobial Activities

Aim: Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides is a plant of the family Rutaceae used for treating different ailments such as malaria, sickle cell anaemia, tuberculosis, paralysis and intestinal disorder due to the presence of some bioactive constituents. The present study was aimed at identifying and characterizing some of the active principles from the stem bark of the plant.

Places and Duration of Study: The isolation and characterization of the compounds was carried out at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS), University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom between October, 2018 to February, 2019 while the bioassay analysis was done at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Methodology: The stem bark powder was subjected to Soxhlet extraction with hexane to obtain the crude extract, which was fractionated on column using hexane, and ethyl acetate in increasing ratios. The isolated components were tested for their antimicrobial activities against some plants and animal pathogens at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Results: White crystals were obtained which on spectra analysis (IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 2D-NMR) were identified as Fagaramide and Pellitorine The isolated compounds exhibited appreciable antimicrobial activities against some microbes, thus confirming the many ethnomedical uses of the plant.

Conclusion: The compounds isolated were identified as fagaramide and pellitorine. They showed moderate sensitivity towards the pathogens tested in the study.