Lipid constituents from Cissus trifoliata stems

ObjectiveThe stems from plants of the genus Cissus are used in traditional medicine worldwide. In Mexico Cissus trifoliata is employed for the management of several diseases, however little is known about the active compounds. The present investigation focuses on the extraction, isolation, and characterization of the lipid contents from the stems of C. trifoliata by chromatographic, spectroscopic, and spectrometric techniques. MethodsThe hexane extract was fractionated sequentially with hexane and ethanol and visualized by TLC. The compounds were isolated by column chromatography and structurally elucidated using NMR. In addition, the complete extract and solids obtained by fractionations were analyzed by GC-MS. ResultsAccording to NMR signals, solids present in the hexane extract correspond to hentriacontane, octatetracontane, octacosanoic acid, tricosyl tetracosanoate and sitosterol. Furthermore, the analysis by GC-MS found 33 compounds, and the most abundant were hentriacontane, squalene, palmitic acid, oleic acid, {beta}-sitosterol, and nonacosane. ConclusionThis report describes the major constituents in the hexane extract from Cissus trifoliata stems. Our analysis suggests an abundant composition of higher alkanes, fatty acids, and sterols, which are the major lipid components of cuticular waxes and plant cell membranes.