Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Department of Pharmacognosy

Several herbs belong to genus Pelargonium (Arabic: عتر) are noted with considerable economic importance in ornamental plants market. Pelargonium originates from South Africa, where more than 200 species are cultivated. In Egypt, Pelargonium species are cultivated in Upper Egypt, mainly Beni Suef and Faiyum. Some Pelargonium species contain volatile oil called geranium oil which has economic value in perfume industry and cosmetics. Also, geranium oil has biological importance as it was reported to possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-oxidant, insect repellent and other activities. Pelargonium peltatum (L.) L{u2019}Her. cv. Balcon lilla is characterized by green, succulent and palmately lobed leaves. The color of the flowers is pale pink. The preliminary phytochemical screening followed by TLC of the 70% ethanolic extract and its fractions revealed that n-hexane and methylene chloride fractions were rich in sterols and triterpenes, while ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions were rich in flavonoids and tannins. This is the first study of the volatile components of Pelargonium peltatum (L.) L{u2019}Her. and the first time to use head space GC/MS for analyzing the oil of Pelargonium species. Five compounds were identified, namely; Ý-myrcene (44.86%), (-)-Ý-pinene (35.89), (-)-Ü-pinene (10.4%), p-mentha-1(7),8-diene (5.14%) and camphene (3.71%). Four compounds were isolated and identified from the ethyl acetate fraction; 1-O-monogalloyl-Ý-glucose, gallic acid, ethyl gallate and 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl-ß-D-glucopyranose (PGG)

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