Anti-inflammatory activity and a new compound isolated from aerial parts of Myrsine africana

A new compound was isolated from the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of the aerial parts of Myrsine africana. The compound was eluted with mobile phase of EtOAc and n-hexane at a ratio of 0.2:9.8. The structure of the compound was identified with the help of 13C-NMR, 1H-NMR, heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC), nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) and correlation spectroscopy (COSY). The crude methanolic extract and various fractions of the aerial parts of the plant were also screened for anti-inflammatory activity. The EtOAc and n-hexane fractions of the plant showed moderate (44.8 and 40.9%, respectively) antiinflammatory activity, while the rest of the fractions and crude extract showed low activity at concentration of 500 μg/ml against human neutrophils.Key words: Myrsine africana, anti-inflammatory activity, indomethacin