Phytochemical studies and biological activity of cinnamomum microphyllum

The stem bark, root, and bark, and leaves of Cinnamomum microphyllum was extracted using MeOH. Their filtrates were evaporated to dryness to gave 7.20 %, 12.86 %, 6.21%, and 10.22% of crude extracts respectively. Stem bark and root were chosen to perform solvent partition using solvent with increasing polarities and resulted in four partitions for each part where the stem bark yield 0.35% of hexane partition, 0.28% dichloromethane, 0.68% ethyl acetate, and 0.48% of methanol partition. The root part gave in 0.68% of hexane partition, 0.47% dichloromethane partition, 1.14% ethyl acetate, and 2.23% methanol partition. Separation of dichloromethane crude partition of stem bark by column chromatography resulted in the isolation of one pure compound which identified and characterized as methyl cinnamate. The pure compound was isolated as white crystal needle in hexane- dichloromethane (1:1) fraction with Rf value of 0.54 and gave a molecular mass of 162 g/mol corresponded to molecular formula of C10H10O2. Various spectroscopic data especially mass spectrum, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and comparison with the published data were established in order to determine the structure of the pure compound. The semi-pure compound was found in one combined fractions from the root sample which was expected to be methyl eugenol with its molecular mass of 178 g/mol. None of crude partitions of Cinnamomum microphyllum showed significant toxicity against Artemia salina