ISOLATION OF CUCURBITACIN E FROM BITTER APPLE (Citrullus colocynthis) FRUIT AND MEASURING THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

Abstract

The Citrullus colocynthis is called bitter apple and colocynth. It is a cucurbitaceae family member, which is widely utilized in traditional medicine throughout the Middle East and Asia. Citrullus colocynthis is a rich source of very important compounds that can be used to fight cancer related diseases, alongside bacteria infection and help the body fight cancer. This research was concerned with the extraction, identification, and isolation of some biologically significant substance cucurbitacin E from fruits of Citrullus colocynthis. Extraction of these cucurbitacins were carried out using (Deionized water, n-hexane, ethyl acetate). Thin layer chromatography (T.L.C) was used for identifying cucurbitacin E using specific solvent systems tested on the extracted compounds. Iodine vapor and ultra-violet (U.V.) light were utilized for detection and then theses cucurbitacins were isolated by using column chromatography. The identification of chemical composition of Citrullus colocynthis (cucurbitacin E) was enhanced further by the use of high-performance liquid chromatography apparatus (H.P.L.C).In the present study, fruit extract of cucurbitacin E was screened to evaluate its free radical. The anti-radical activity of the separated compound extracted by (DPPH) (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) assay and ascorbic acid was used for comparison. It was found that the higher the...