Journal of Medicinal Plant Research Vol. 1 (3), 060- 062, October 2007          
ISSN 1996-0875 © 2007 Academic Journals

Short Communication

Isolation and characterization of 3, 5, 6-trihydroxy-7-octyl-5, 6-dihydro-1-naphthalene carboxylic acid from the stem methanolic extract of Vitellaria paradox

Ndukwe, I. G.^1*, Amupitan, J. O.¹, Zhao, Y.² and Isah, Y.³

¹Department of Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria.

²Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, PR China.

³Federal College of Education, Okene, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: ndukweilogeorge@yahoo.com

Accepted 25, September 2007

The methanol extract of the stem bark of Vitellaria paradoxa used variously in ethno medicinal treatments in Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria was studied. A silica gel column chromatography of the methanol extract of the stem bark using chloroform eluted a whitish gummy substance which was identified purely by spectral analyses as 3, 5, 6-trihydroxy-7-octyl-5, 6-dihydro-1-naphthalene carboxylic acid.

Key words: Vitellaria paradoxa; 3, 5, 6-trihydroxyl-7-octyl-5, 6-dihydro-1-naphthalene carboxylic acid, chromatography.