Isolation and characterization of pyropheophorbide-a from moringa oleifera lam

Moringa oleifera is a plant rich in pharmacologically active compounds. This study investigated the phytochemical constituents of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts. Dried M. oleifera leaves were ground and extracted successively with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. Different chromatographic techniques were used to fractionate the ethyl acetate extract. Thin layer chromatography was used to pool similar fractions together. Fractions obtained were purified using sephadex glass column. The structures of isolated compounds were identified using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and comparison with published data. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, carbohydrates and phenols. Ethyl acetate extract which was subjected to column chromatography resulted to the isolation of two compounds: mono acetyl glycerol and pyropheophorbide-a, from the leaves of M. oleifera. This is the first report on the isolation of pyropheophorbide-a from the leaves of M. oleifera.