A preliminary chemical study on secondary metabolites present in fruits of Momordica dioica

Abstract

Results o f isolation and identification o f secondary metabolites present in fruits o f Memordicadioica are reported in this paper.M. dioica (Family Cucurbitaceae) is a dioecious perennial plant with tuberous roots and commonly available in the dry zone o f Sri Lanka. The whole plant ofM. dioica including fruits, leaves, tubersand seeds has been reported to possess potent healthcare properties and used in traditional medicine systems in many countries. The fruits o f the plant are commonly consumed as a vegetable in SriLanka and they have therapeutic potential ashypoglycaemic and anti-ulcer drugs.The chemical constituents present in fruits o f M dioica were extracted into hexane, ethyl acetate,methanol and water via sequential extraction method using Soxhlet extractor. The nature o f the secondary metabolites present in each extracts was determined by phytochemical screening, chemical screening and spectroscopic methods. It was found that fruits ofM. diocia contain alkaloids, steroids,triterpenoids and larger amount o f saponins