Phytochemical Studies on Merendera Schimperi ( Merendera Abyssinica
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Date
1996-08
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Addis Ababa Universty
Abstract
In the course of this work phytochemical investigation of Merendera schimperi
(Colchicaceae) was conducted.
The genus Mefendera is distributed in South Europe, in Asia minor, . West Asia,
North West Africa and North and North-East Africa. This genus is represented by
15 species.
M. schimperi (syn. M. abyssinica, M. /ongifo/ia, M. /ongispatha) is the only
Merendera species found in Ethiopia.
The corm and corm cover of this plant afforded many compounds, out of which
structures were proposed for seven compounds based on their 90 MHz 'H-NMR,
IR, and LRMS spectra. These include, ~-sitosterol (31), erythrinasinate (32),
stigmast-1 A-diene-3-one (33), stigmast-4-ene-3-one (34), colchicine (1), sucrose
(35), ethylmethylamine oxide (36).
Colchicine (1) was the most abundant tropolone alkaloid (ca. 1.7% of the dry
weight of the corm cover) obtained from both the corm and corm cover of the
plant. The chloroform extract, in both cases, was rich in colchicine (1) as
compared to the methanol extract.
2-Demethylcolchicine (2) was synthesized from colchicine(1) by selectively
de methylating the methoxyl group at position 2. This compound was then used as a reference sample to monitor its presence in the various extracts of M.
schimperi. It was not detected in any of the extracts.
The non-polar fractions of the extracts of M. schimperi afforded erythrinasinate
(32). This compound has been isolated from a Merendera species for the first
time. It was, _however, obtained from different Erythrina species.
The sterols, ~-sitosterol (31), stigmast-1 ,4-diene-3-one (33) and stigmast-4-ene-3-
one (34) were found in considerable quantities in both the chloroform al'ld
methanol extracts. The presence of these compounds in the extracts of
Merendera species has not been reported before.
Ethylmethylamine oxide (36) was obtained in small quantities from the methanol
extract of the corm. The presence of this compound in Merendera is reported
here for the first time.
In view of the important place of colchicine in modern medicine, it may be
possible to propagate a controlled use of M. schimperi among the rural
community as a substitute for modern and expensive drugs.
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Keywords
phytochemical investigation