- Short communication Phytochemical and Biological Investigations of

Abstract

The n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and choloroform soluble fractions of a methanol extract of Acokanthera spectabilis were subjected to antimicrobial screening and brine shrimp lethality bioassay. All of the partitionates showed moderate to strong inhibitory activity to microbial growth, while the carbon tetrachloride soluble fraction demonstrated highest cytotoxicity having LC50 6.16 µg/ml. Acokanthera spectabilis (Family- Apocynaceae) is a fragrant ornamental shrub. The plant has reputation for its cardiotonic activities. 1 Previous phytochemical investigation with A. spectabilis led to the isolation of acobioside A and 14-Oacetylacovenodose C. 2 In the present study, we report the presence of a cardenolide as well as antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of the extractives of A. spectabilis growing in Bangladesh. The 1 H NMR spectra were recorded using a Bruker AMX-400 (400 MHz) instrument and the NMR spectra were acquired in CDCl3 and the δ values for 1 H spectra were referenced to the residual nondeuterated solvent signal