Hedera helix L. plant belongs to the family Araliaceae that provide a host of bioactive compounds (mainly saponins) of important biological activities, like spasmolytic, secretolytic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Literature survey revealed that there was no previously study concerning H. helix L. which is cultivated in Iraq, so we decided to carry out this study which include extraction, isolation, purification and identification of biologically important triterpenoid saponin hederacoside C from leaves of H. helix L. Extraction of hederacoside C was carried out using two methods; in the first method maceration was done with methanol 99.8% and in the second method soxhlet extraction with ethanol 99.8%, was followed, then fractionation using column chromatography. Preliminary identification of this saponin hederacoside C was done using thin layer chromatography (TLC) where different solvent systems had been tried. Liebermann-Burchard reagent where used for detection. The most suitable extraction method was fully described in this study. The characterization of the isolated hederacoside C was carried out using melting point (M.P.), thin layer chromatography (TLC), FT-IR, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Keywords: Hedera helix L., Hederacoside C, Column chromatography.
