HYPOTENSIVE CONSTITUENTS FROM THE PODS OF MORINGA-OLEIFERA

Hypotensive activity of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera whole pods and their parts, namely, coat, pulp, and seed was investigated. The activity of the ethanolic extract of both the pods a nd the seeds was equivalent at the dose of 30 mg/kg. The ethyl acetate phase of the ethanolic extract of pods was found to be the most poten t fraction at the same dose. Its bioassay-directed fractionation led t o the isolation of thiocarbamate and isothiocyanate glycosides which w ere also the hypotensive principles of the pods as observed in case of Moringa leaves. Two new compounds, O-[2'-hydroxy-3'-(2 ''-heptenyloxy )]-propyl undecanoate (1) and O-ethyl-4-[(alpha-L-rhamnosyloxy)-benzyl ] carbamate (2) along with the known substances methyl p-hydroxybenzoa te (3) and beta-sitosterol have also been isolated in the present stud ies. The latter two compounds and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde showed promisi ng hypotensive activity. Structures of all these compounds have been d educed by spectroscopy and chemical reactions.