Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 31 (2003) 635–636

www.elsevier.com/locate/biochemsyseco

A rare flavonol glycoside from Polygala

chinensis
Menini S. Rao a,a#, P.S. Rao b, J.K. Kumar b, N.V. Raman c,
Md. Khalilullah c
a
Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, USA
b
Department of Chemistry, Kakatiya University, Warangal, A.P. India
c
Department of Chemistry, J.N.T. UniversityKukatpally, Hyderabad, India

Received 20 September 2000; accepted 9 September 2002

Keywords: Polygala chinensis; Polygalaceae; Whole plant; Eupalitin-3-O-β-D galactoside; Flavonol

glycoside

1. Subject and Source

Polygala chinensis Geissman (Polygalaceae), a herb with glabrescent leaves and

yellow flowers found in open places and grasslands.
The whole plant of P. chinensis was collected from Nagarjuna University Campus,
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in September 1999. the plant was identified by Prof. P.N.
Rao, Department of Botany, Nagarjuna University, Guntur. A Voucher specimen of
the plant material (Np. PC-101) is preserved in the herbarium of Department of
Botany, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhrapradesh, India (SKU).

2. Previous Work

Six new lactonic lignans and flavonol glycosides (Ghosal et al., 1974)

a#
Corresponding author: Meneni.S.Rao, Dept. of Chemistry, Oakland University, 31950 Concord Dr.,
Madison Heights, MI-48071, USA.
E-mail address: raoFms@yahoo.com (M.S. Rao).

0305-1978/02/$ - see front matter  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0305-1978(02)00201-6
636 M.S. Rao et al. / Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 31 (2003) 635–636

3. Present Study

The dried whole plant of P. chinensis was extracted with methanol (MeOH) for
5-6 hrs. The concentrated extract was purified by column chromatography over silica
gel to afford eupalitin-3-O-β-D-galactoside (1). The physical (m.p., [α]D) and spec-
tral (IR, 1H and 13C NMR and MS) properties of the compound were found to be
identical to those reported earlier (Smith et al., 1971). This is the first report of the
isolation of the compound from P. chinensis.

4. Chemotaxonomic Significance

Eupalitin-3-O-β-D galactoside and related flavonol glycosides have previously

been isolated from other Polygala species (Dubois et al., 1985; Hamburger et al.,
1986; Do et al., 1992; Jung et al., 1993; Wenkui et al., 1996). These flavonol glycos-
ides may be useful taxonomic markers within the genus.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Prof. H. Duddeck, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Hannover

University, Hannover, Germany for providing Spectral data. N.V. and M.K. are
thankful to Dr. Ram Reddy, Principal and M.S.N. Raju, Head, Department of Chem-
istry, J.N.T. University, Kukatpally, Hyderabad.

References

Do J.C., et al., 1992, Saemgual Jaljpejo, 23(1), 9.

Dubois M.A., et al., 1985, Phytochemistry, 28(2), 3355.
Ghosal, S., et al., 1974, Phytochemistry, 12 ,2281.
Hamburger, M., Hostettmann, K., 1986, Journal of Natural Products, 49(3), 557.
Jung, Keuh Young et al., 1993, Phytochemistry, 34(4), 1196.
Smith, D.M., et al., 1971, Phytochemistry, 10, 3115.
Wenkui et al., 1996. Tiauran Chanwu Yanjiu Yu Kaifu, 8(3), 1.