Extraction and Bioactivity Testing of Alkaloids from Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Amsonia tabernaemontana Walter (Apocynaceae) Public

Abstract

Amsonia tabernaemontana Walter, also known as the eastern bluestar, belongs to the Apocynaceae family and is native to North America. It is frequently found in yards and gardens as a low-maintenance and disease-resistant flowering plant. Several other species within the Amsonia genus have uses in traditional medicine and have been followed up with an analysis of the chemical profiles of the plants and their respective bioactivity. Few studies of the alkaloid content have been conducted on this species. The plant was collected, ground, and macerated before it underwent acid-base extraction. The resulting partitions were screened for alkaloid content using normal-phase TLC and Dragendorff’s spraying reagent as a color indicator for heterocyclic nitrogen, revealing an alkaloid-rich partition. An initial screen of the partitions for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus revealed inconclusive results. Further evaluation of the bioactivity of this fraction and purification of the partitions are needed to determine any potential bioactivity.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction                                                                                                                      11

1.1 Antibiotic Resistance                                                                                                       11

1.2 Ethnobotany and Phytochemistry                                                                                14

1.3 Alkaloids                                                                                                                          16

1.4 Amsonia Genus                                                                                                                 20

1.5 Amsonia tabernaemontana                                                                                            22

1.6 Research Aims and Hypothesis                                                                                      26

                                                                                                                                                   

2. Materials and Methods                                                                                                   27

2.1 Plant Collection                                                                                                               28

2.2 Extraction                                                                                                                        29

2.3 Acid-Base Partition                                                                                                         29

2.4 Solid Phase Extraction                                                                                                    31

2.5 Thin Layer Chromatography                                                                                         31

2.6 Bacteria Culturing                                                                                                           32

2.7 Bioautography                                                                                                                 33

2.8 Single Dose Response                                                                                                    33

3. Results                                                                                                                               35

3.1 Initial Screening and Extraction                                                                                 35

3.2 Solid Phase Extraction                                                                                                  39

3.3 Bioautography                                                                                                                 41

3.4 Single Dose Response                                                                                                    43

4. Discussion                                                                                                                         45

4.1 Contributions to Science                                                                                               45

4.2 Study Limitations                                                                                                            45

4.3 Future Directions                                                                                                             46

5. References                                                                                                                         47

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Biology
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Chemistry, Analytical Biology, Microbiology
Mot-clé	Amsonia tabernaemontana Alkaloids
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Cassandra Quave, Emory University
Committee Members	Kathleen Campbell, Emory University William Wuest, Emory University

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