Pharmacological Evaluation of Selected Medicinal Plants and Isolation of Active Compounds

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to isolate, characterize, and evaluate bioactive phytoconstituents from the bark of Cordia dichotoma, a medicinal plant widely used in traditional systems of medicine. Medicinal plants serve as an important source of therapeutic agents due to the presence of diverse secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic compounds, which exhibit significant pharmacological activities. The bark of Cordia dichotoma was collected, authenticated, and subjected to pharmacognostic and physicochemical evaluation to establish its identity, purity, and quality. Successive solvent extraction was carried out using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol. Among the extracts obtained, the ethanolic extract showed the highest yield and was rich in phytoconstituents. Preliminary phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of various bioactive compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, and phenolic compounds. Further analysis through thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR enabled the identification and characterization of isolated compounds, including naringenin chalcone and bopindolol. Quantitative estimation revealed that the ethanolic extract possessed the highest total polyphenolic and flavonoid content, indicating strong antioxidant potential. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH assay, where the extract exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity comparable to standard ascorbic acid. Additionally, in vitro studies demonstrated promising anti-asthmatic activity of the extract by inhibiting histamine-induced contractions. The overall findings validate the traditional use of Cordia dichotoma and highlight its potential as a natural source of bioactive compounds for therapeutic applications.