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

Kalanchoe beharensis Drake is a popular garden succulent evergreen shrub native to Madagascar, but it has been cultivated in Egypt as an ornamental plant. It is commonly known as elephant's ear kalanchoe. It belongs to Genus Kalanchoe, one of the largest Genera of family Crassulaceae. Numerous species of this genus were reported to be used traditionally for the treatment of many health ailments and have been investigated for important biological properties. Reviewing the current literature, little data about K. beharensis were traced concerning its biological activities or phytoconstituents. Consequently, it is a matter of interest to investigate its biological activities and phytochemical composition. For confirmation of the raw material quality and purity as well as differentiation of the plant under study from other Kalanchoe species, criteria for characterization was established via determination of the morphological features, proximate analysis and phytochemical screening. The air-dried powdered leaves were exhaustively extracted by 90% ethanol then the total extract subjected to successive extraction by liquid-liquid fractionation using solvents of increasing polarities; with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol saturated with water. All fractions were exposed to repeated chromatographic fractionation that led to the isolation of eight compounds, Four compounds were isolated for the first time from genus Kalanchoe (1-Triacontanol fatty alcohol, Quercetin-3-O-Ý-xylopyrnosyl-(1"'{u2192}2")-O-Ý-glucoside, Myricetin-3-O-Ý-xylopyranosyl-(1"'{u2192}2")-O-Ý-galactoside and Myricetin-3-O-Ý-galactoside); two compounds were previously isolated from genus Kalanchoe, but it is the first report of their isolation from K. beharensis leaves (Ý-Sitosterol and Ý-Sitosterol-3-O-Ý-glucoside) and the other two compounds were previously isolated from K. beharensis leaves (Quercetin and Quercetin-3-O-Ý-galactoside)

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