Isolation, Characterization and Antimalarial Evaluation of Methyl-3,12-dihydroxycholan-24-oate from Bovine Bile

Bile, often known as gall, is a dark-green fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates. It is largely made up of steroidal detergent-like compounds and membrane lipids including un-esterified cholesterol and mixed phosphatidylcholines. A good number of animal bile has been utilized ethno-medicinally for ages. Animal bile has been administered to cure liver, skin disorders, malaria, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The extraction was achieved by solvent extraction in chloroform, where 40% aqueous methanol was added to about 4 liters of the bile sample, mixed thoroughly and acidified with 2M H2SO4 solution to a pH of about 3.0 - 4.0. After several agitations, the mixture was allowed to stand for 24 hours, and then extracted with chloroform. The crude chloroform extract was purified using standard purification techniques of column chromatography (CC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The structure of the compound was characterized using, - (1H NMR), 13C NMR, and DEPT 135 spectroscopic techniques in order to propose the structure of the compound as (Methyl-3,12-dihydroxycholan-24-oate). The in-vitro antimalarial assay of the crude extract and the isolated compound was carried out on Plasmodium falciparum. The results of the antimalarial activity of the crude bile extract and isolated compound revealed IC50 values of 16.16 μg/mL and 32.09 μg/mL, respectively which indicates the moderate antimalarial activity compared to chloroquine standard control (0.029 μg/mL). The results of the investigation revealed that the bovine bile extract, contain bioactive chemical substances which could be good, therapeutic agents against malaria.