A Chemosystematic Study Of Asphodelus Aestivus Brot. (Asphodelaceae) In Egypt

Background and objectivesIn the Egyptian flora, the genus Asphodelus was formally placed in Liliaceae family and recently is ranked as a separate family; Asphodelaceae. Asphodelus aestivus Brot. is the one of the five Asphodelus spp. distributed wild in Egypt; it grows on rocky or sandy ground and in dry grasslands. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the chemical constituents of A. aestivus compared with those reported in the species of families Liliaceae s.l. and Asphodelaceae to evaluate their chemosystematic relationship.Materials and methodsThe chemical components of the defatted hydroalcoholic extract of A. aestivus were analyzed using different chromatographic and spectral techniques.Results and conclusionA total of 13 flavonoid compounds were isolated from A. aestivus. They are identified as kaempferol (1), kaempferol 7-O-beta-glucopyranoside (2), kaempferol 3-O-(6'-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-glucopyranoside-7-O-alpha-rhamnopyranoside (3), apigenin (4), apigenin 7-O-beta-glucopyranoside (5), luteolin (6), luteolin 7-O-beta-glucopyranoside (7), vitexin (8), isovitexin (9), apigenin 6, 8 di-C-beta-glucopyranoside (10), saponarin (11), orientin (12), and isoorientin (13). Except for compounds 9 and 13, all compounds were isolated for the first time from A. aestivus.A. aestivus is characterized by flavones, flavonols, and flavone C-glycosides. It is thus different from other species of Liliaceae s./. which are characterized by either flavones and flavone C-glycosides or flavonols and flavone C-glycosides, supporting the placement of the genus Asphodelus in a distinct family (Asphodelaceae).