Chemical composition of spilanthes americana extract
Universidad Autónoma de Manizales
Spilanthes Americana flower has been commonly used in the treatment of recurrent herpes labialis through the fraction of the flower extract on yellowish oil, which has often been diluted in vaseline or alcohol. The objective was identify and compare the chemical composition of the flowerhead and the extract of Spilanthes americana flower diluted in vaseline and alcohol.
Methods: A descriptive study was carried out to make the chemical identification of the flower head of Spilanthes americana and the extract diluted in vaseline and alcohol, which was subjected to the process of Infrared Spectroscopy by Fourier Transform.
Results: Characteristic functional groups of spilanthol were identified in the flowerhead of Spilanthes americana and the extract diluted in vaseline and alcohol, which correspond to the chemical formula N-isobutyl-2,6,8-decatrienamide such as linear aliphatic hydrocarbon, gem-dimethyl group, carbonyl group and disubstituted unsaturated alkenes. The analysis permitted the identification of different functional groups in different samples. In the pure sample of Spilanthes Americana, the presence of a secondary amine, a nitro group, an ester, a nitrite and nitrate and sulfur in the form of aromatic sulfonamide was determined. In the spectra of the sample of the pure solid and the extract diluted in vaseline, disubstituted unsaturated alkenes with isomery trans were observed, while in the extract diluted in alcohol a configuration cis was found.
Conclusion: The spectroscopic analysis evidenced the presence of characteristic functional groups of compound spilanthol, which modified the trans isomery of the pure sample and the one diluted in vaseline cis in the extract prepared in alcohol. Finally, common compounds to the three sulfur samples and an organic ester functional group were found.
