Quercitrin from Ixora coccinea Leaves and its Anti-oxidant Activity

Abstract

One method has been developed to isolate quercitrin from Ixora coccinea leaves, which depends on fractionation of defatted hydro-alcoholic extract by different polarity solvents followed by purification through column chromatography. Isolated quercitrin has been characterized by using UV, IR, Mass spectral data, NMR data and also confirmed by using HPTLC and elemental analysis. The isolated quercitrin was shown a challenging potency to scavenge DPPH free radicals and also nitric oxide free radicals with very low IC value. 50 Ixora coccinea is native to tropical south-east Asia, including Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has become one of the most popular 1 flowering shrubs in South Florida gardens and landscapes. The flower of Ixora traditionally used as anti-inflammatory, aromatic, antipyretic drug and useful in extensive thirst and fatigue according to Siddha literature. In the study presented, flowers of both the varieties of Ixora were pharmacologically tried in different conditions. The fresh juice of flower was used in 2 ml/100g oral 2-5 dose in the studies. Pharmacological evaluation revealed that the plant Ixora coccinea has alterative property in fatigue and thirst, protecting property against electro-convulsions, anti-inflammatory (both acute and chronic) property and haemostatic efficiency in animals. The plant does not have any effect in adjuvant induced arthritis, barbital induced sleeping time and yeast induced anti- pyretic activity in Albino rats. Generally all these disease can be occurred due to the presence of free radicals in our body and in major cases polyphenolic compounds are responsible to scavenge 3-10 free radicals from our body. As in qualitative chemical tests the presence of quercitrin was identified in different extracts of Ixora coccinea leaves, an attempt has been taken to isolate and characterize quercitrin and performed the in vitro anti-oxidant activity of the isolated quercitrin.