Abstract:
Vitex doniana (subfamily Viticoideae) was chosen for this study because
of its use in Sudanese folk medicine for the treatment of common disease as
rheumatism, hypertension, cancer, anemia, stomach disorders, rickets,
leprosy, sterility, diarrhea, dysentery, fevers, debility, pain-killers and
kidney diseases.
Vitex doniana leaves extract with 70% methanol was prepared at room
temperature.
Preliminary phytochemical screening, of air-dried powdered leaves,
indicated high amounts of saponins and flavonoids, moderate amounts of
carbohydrates or carbohydrates and glycosides, sterols or sterols and
triterpenes,
coumarins
and
alkaloids,
while
crystalline
sublimate,
anthraquinones and volatile matter were absent.
Study of the aqueous methanol extract of the plant using chromatographic
separation on polyamide, sephadex column and paper chromatography
method, resulted in isolation of five compounds as flavone (I, II, III, IV, V)
(three as glycosidic flavonoids and two as aglycones). The structures of the
isolated phytochemicals were elucidated using UV, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and
MS. All compounds were isolated for the first time from the leaves extract.
Methanol extract of Vitex doniana exhibited high antibacterial activity
against gram negative bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and moderated
activity against gram negative bacteria: Salmonella typhimurium. Minor
activity observed for gram positive bacteria: Bacillus aureus. In addition, the
extract gave significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans
reaching an inhibition zone: 15mm showed high antifungal activity.
Percentage inhibition absorbance of (91.0 %) was observed for DPPH,
indicating high antioxidant activity of the leaf extract.
