Verbena Active Ingredient Research

Verbena officinalis L., a plant of the Verbena family, is widely distributed in all regions of China, rich in resources and has a long history of medicinal application. As recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, V. officinalis L has the functions of promoting blood circulation, anti-malaria, detoxification, diuresis and detumescence. Its analgesic and anti-colpitis mycotica effects have previously reported, while the active constituents are still unknown. This thesis described the isolation and identification of the chemical components of V. officinalis L. under the guidance of analgesic and anti-microbial tests.V. officinalis L. was extracted with 95% EtOH, the extract was partitioned with petroleum ether, CHCl₃, EtOAc, n-BuOH and water to give five fractions. The analgesic constituents were found existed in the n-BuOH fraction and the EtOAc fraction was found possessing anticandidaalbicans activity. Further fractionation of the two active fractions by column chromatography led to the isolation and identification, by means of chemical and spectral methods (UV, MS, NMR), of nineteen compounds, including eight flavonoids: kaempferol ( I ), apigenin ( II ), 4'-hydroxywogonin (III), 5-hydroxy-4',3,6,7- tetramethoxy falvone (IV), kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside ( V ), quercitrin ( VI ), Chrysoeriol-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside ( VII ), luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside ( VIII ); one caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside: verbascoside (IX); five irinoid glycosides: verbenalin ( X ), hastatoside (XI), 3,4-dihydroverbenalin (XII), aucubin (XIII), gentiopicroside (XIV); three steroides: P-sitosterol (XV), stigmasterol (XVI), daucosterol (XVII); two triterpenoids: lupeol (XVIII), ursolic acid (XIX). Compounds I - YD, XIV and XVI were obtained from this herb for the first time.