Planta Med 2013; 79 - PN92
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1348773

Sulfated Triterpenes from Melissa officinalis L.

MA Tantry 1, IA Khan 2, YS Bedi 1, RA Vishwakarma 1
  • 1Natural Product Chemistry Division, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Srinagar 190005 Kashmir India
  • 2National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, United States

Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon balm, Labiatae) is a perennial herb native to Europe and exotic to Western Himalaya. The leaves are used as a juice or as an herbal tea for their aromatic, digestive and antispasmodic properties in nervous disturbances of sleep and for gastrointestinal disorders. Topical remedies prepared from extracts and plant homogenates of fresh lemon balm are used for its antiviral, antimicrobial, and prevention of dandruff. The hydroalcoholic extract possesses antioxidative properties related to the phenolic content, particularly of rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and luteolin. As a part of our programme 'Quality by Design' approach of medicinally important plants, the Lemon balm, which is an exotic species in Kashmir Himalaya, its hydroalcoholic extract has been subjected to detailed further chemical investigation. From the aliquot of the extract, eleven compounds were isolated including two new sulfated triterpenes (1,2). Their chemical structures were elucidated mainly by analysis of NMR and MS spectral data. All compounds were evaluated for antioxidant and PPAR-γ activities.

Fig. 1: Structure, 1H-1H DQF-COSY (–) and HSQC, HMBC (→) correlations of compounds 1 and 2

Keywords: Melissa officinalis, Sulfated triterpenes, Antioxidant and PPAR-γ activity