XVI International Botanical Congess

Lagonychium farctum(syn.:Prosopis farcta or P.stephaniana) is a wild perennial shrubby plant growing in deserts of upper Egypt. In the folk medicine, it is used as astringent,haemostatic, anti-dysentry and antidiabetic agent. It is also used as hypolipidemic agent, in atherosclerosis and to enhance the vascular wall resistance. The present work dealt with the isolation of B-sitosterol, lupeol, and gallic acid from its fruit. Also, from its flowers, B-sitosterol-3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside, palmitic acid, 6'-O-palmitoyl-3-O-B-sitosterol glucoside and methyl gallate were isolated. The structures of the isolated compounds were established on the basis of IR, NMR, ans MS spectral analysis. This is the first report on isolation of B-sitosterol glucoside, palmitic acid, 6'-O-palmitoyl-3-O-B-sitosterol glucoside and methyl gallate from the genus Lagonychium.