Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Chemistry (MS)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Chemistry

Advisor 1

Tarun K. Dam

Committee Member 1

Loredana Valenzano-Slough

Committee Member 2

Shiyue Fang

Committee Member 3

Paul Charlesworth

Abstract

Plants produce diverse bioactive compounds that are used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, microbial infection, and cardiovascular diseases. Our lab has discovered a potential anticancer compound named Hemolysin X (HelyX) in the storage and germination tissues of a plant species. Investigation of this compound relies on aqueous extraction which limits the isolation of other potentially important hydrophobic compounds. To overcome this limitation and to determine if HelyX is distributed in other tissues of the plant (such as flower), organic extracts of flower tissue were examined by analytical thin layer chromatography (TLC), preparative TLC, and silica gel column chromatography. These methods were capable of both visualizing and isolating HelyX and other previously undetected compounds from the flower tissues. Organic solvent-based methods standardized in the present research will play an important role in the continuing investigation of HelyX and accompanying bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential.

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