PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE EXTRACT OF THE BARK OF COMMIPHORA AFRICANA (A. Rich) ENGL. (FAMILY: BURSERACEAE)

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE EXTRACT OF THE BARK OF COMMIPHORA AFRICANA (A. Rich) ENGL. (FAMILY: BURSERACEAE)

Abstract:

Commiphora africana (A. Rich) Engl. (Family: Burseraceae) is a bushy shrub or small tree found mainly in the savannah woodland and driert parts of tropical Africa. The bark and the leaves are used in traditional medicine as a remedy for stomach pains dysentery, snake and scorpion bites as well as a source of gum resins. The methanolic extract of the bark of the plant gave a homogenous product through chromotographic separation which after crystallization from methanol furnished a needle, mp. 142 – 143°C, characterized as dimethylterepthalate (Benzene – 1 , 4- dicarboxylic acid dimethylester), C10H1004 (M + , 194), on the basis of spectral analysis (UV, IR, NMR, Mass) and comparison with the synthetic dimethylester prepared from terephthalic acid. The pharmacological screening of the crude aqueous extract of the plant (bark) showed a dose – dependent relaxation of the isolated rabbit ileum and antagonized the action of acetylcholine on the same tissue in the same manner like atropine. This justified the use of the plant for stomach pains and dysentery in traditional medicine. The pharmacological test on uterus revealed that the aqueous extract lacked agonistic or antagonistic action on the isolated rabbit uterus. However it caused a dose – dependent suppressing action on the rate and the amplitude of the beat of the isolated rabbit heart, a typical B – adrenergic antagonistic effect resembling those potentiated by propranolol. This also confirmed the basis for the use of the plant to treat heart related problems

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE EXTRACT OF THE BARK OF COMMIPHORA AFRICANA (A. Rich) ENGL. (FAMILY: BURSERACEAE)