A secondary metabolite, 2ʹ-O-ethylmurrangatin (1), was isolated from the leaves of a medicinal plant, Murraya paniculata. Th e structure of compound 1 was identifi ed with the help of spectroscopic techniques. | A. SHAIKH, M. I. CHOUDHARY Turk J Biol 35 (2011) 751-755 © TÜBİTAK doi: Bioassay studies of 2ʹ-O-ethylmurrangatin isolated from a medicinal plant, Murraya paniculata Azizuddin SHAIKH1, Muhammad Iqbal CHOUDHARY2 1 Department of Chemistry, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Campus, Karachi-75300 - PAKISTAN 2 . Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270 - PAKISTAN Received: Abstract: A secondary metabolite, 2ʹ-O-ethylmurrangatin (1), was isolated from the leaves of a medicinal plant, Murraya paniculata. The structure of compound 1 was identified with the help of spectroscopic techniques. Compound 1 was screened for its antioxidant, lipoxygenase, prolyl endopeptidase, and respiratory burst inhibitory activities. 2ʹ-O-Ethylmurrangatin (1) was found to have significant activity against lipoxygenase enzyme and moderate respiratory burst inhibitory activity, but no activity against either DPPH radical scavenging assay or prolyl endopeptidase enzyme. Key words: Murraya paniculata, Rutaceae, 2ʹ-O-ethylmurrangatin, antioxidant, DPPH radical scavenging assay, lipoxygenase inhibition assay, prolyl endopeptidase inhibition assay, respiratory burst inhibitory assay Introduction Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack or Orange Jasmine belongs to the family Rutaceae, and occurs widely in India, southeast Asia, southern China, and the Malay Peninsula. The leaves are used for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. Leaves and root barks are also used against rheumatism, cough, and hysteria. The leaves possess antibiotic activity against Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus and Escherichia coli (1,2). Previous phytochemical studies on this plant have resulted in the isolation of a new natural product, 2´-O-ethylmurrangatin (1) along with 2 known coumarins, and their anti-acetylcholinesterase and anti-butyrylcholinesterase activities .
