Modified procedures for the phytochemical and cytotoxic screening of natural products

• Main Author: Rafael, Rosalie Requito
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1996
• Subjects: Extracts; Plant cytotaxonomy; Natural products > Spectra; Plants; Useful; Microbial sensitivity tests; Medicinal plants; Chemistry
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1751
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study modifies some commonly-used procedures in screening natural products. The published procedures were used as references for the screening of alkaloids, saponins, cardenolides, tannins and polyphenols, cyanogenic glycosides, and flavonoids. The reference procedures used were selected based on their efficiency, simplicity, and availability of chemicals, materials, and equipment. The result of the screening of a set of plant, using both the modified and the reference procedures, revealed that the modified procedures gave comparable results as the reference procedures. In a second batch of screening using the modified procedures, saponins and tannins were detected in taba-tabakuhan, a moss species, tagulinao and elephant's ear.The cytotoxic screening by brine shrimp assay showed that chichirica, oregano, and guava contained cytotoxic components. This was also true with the other plants like moss, taba-tabakuhan, and tagulinao. The moss extract was found to be significantly toxic.