Phytochemical investigation and isolation of new compounds from the stems of Tinospora cordifolia Miers

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers (Menispermaceae) is a glabrous, deciduous and trailing plant found in tropical India, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is used to treat anemia, debility, diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery, dyspepsia, fever, jaundice, rheumatism, urinary and skin diseases and snake bites. Its air-dried stem powder was exhaustively extracted with methanol. The concentrated methanolic extract was adsorbed on silica gel (60-120 mesh) for the preparation of a slurry. The dried slurry was chromatographed over silica gel column packed in petroleum ether. The column was eluted with petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol successively in order of increasing polarity to isolate a variety of phytoconstituents including cetyl alcohol (1) along with new chemical constituents characterized as trans-cinnamoyl-2-n-hexanyl-7-methoxynaphthyl amide (2), trans-cinnamoyl-2-n-pentanyl-6,7-dimethoxynaphthyl amide (3), trans-cinnamoyl-2-n-octanyl-7-methoxynaphthyl amide (4), β-D-arabinosyl- O-geranilan-10′-oate (5), 4,5,7-trimethoxy-2-naphthol-2-O-α-L-arabinofuranosyl-(2′→1′′)-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-2′′-O-pentane (6), 5,7-dimethoxy-2-naphthol-2-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(2′→1′′)-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-2′′-O-decane (7) and 5-hydroxy-4 -methoxy-7-flavanoxy-(7→7 )-β-O-labdan-1-en-3 α,19 -olide-18 -oic acid (tinolabdenyl flavanone) (8). The structures of all the isolated phytoconstituents have been established on the basis of spectral data analysis and chemical reactions.