Isolation and characterization of bioactive pentacyclic saponin from Xanthium strumarium L

Abstract

A pentacyclic triterpene saponin molecule has been isolated from the air-dried plant powder of Xanthium strumarium, commonly known as Cocklebur. Air-dried plant powder of x. strumarium fruits after defatting with petroleum ether was extracted successively with methanol, chloroform and carbon tetra chloride and partitioned between water and n-butanol. This repeated extraction yielded a saponin molecule, which was identified by TLC and purified by repeated silica gel open column chromatography and further characterized on the basis of HPLC and several spectral techniques such as 1H NMR and 13C NMR, FAB-Mass Spectroscopy and Infrared spectroscopy. Isolated saponin was evaluated for bioefficacy against a major weed of wheat crop I. rogusum.