DETERMINATION OF THE TRITERPENOID CONTENT OF Euphorbia macroclada Boiss. ACETONE AND ETHANOL EXTRACTS WITH SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH
The Euphorbiaceae family constitutes one of the largest families of flowering plants with over 300 genera and 8,000 species, and is widely distributed, especially in tropical regions. In Turkey, it is the richest genus represented by 80 species. It is commonly known as‘sütleğengiller’. Euphorbia plants have a milky latex that is toxic and causes skin irritation. Despite its toxicity, the latex is the most valuable product obtained from Euphorbia species and contains various biologically active natural compounds such as triterpenoids. The family's successes in traditional medicine have been attributed to the diversity of the chemical compositions of its members. The chemical composition of essential oils obtained from Euphorbia species reveals the presence of more than 80 phytochemicals, including oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Euphorbia extracts also contain secondary metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenols. These chemical components provide lead compounds for drug discovery due to their therapeutic applications, such as cytotoxic, antitumor, antiviral, multi-drug resistance-reversing, and antiinflammatory effects. The medicinal uses of Euphorbia species are quite diverse. Studies in the literature show that most species are used in the treatment of respiratory infections, body and skin irritations, digestive complaints, blood disorders, inflammatory infections, body pains, genitourinary syndromes, microbial diseases, snake or scorpion bites, cellular tissue disorders, nutritional diseases, injuries, endocrine disorders, pregnancy/birth/puerperium disorders, and sensory disorders. In Turkish folk medicine, the species has been used for rheumatism, swelling, and especially as a wart remover. In this study, it is aimed to identify the triterpene content of Euphorbia macroclada Boiss., a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, which is important for health, and to contribute this information to the literature. In the study, acetone and ethanol extracts of E. macroclada Boiss. were prepared, and a content analysis was performed using GC-MS for the quantitative analysis of compounds such as α-amyrin, moronic acid, oleanonic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, and ursolic acid, which are commonly found in natural products. According to the results of the study, the acetone extract of the species contained oleanolic and betulinic acids (2.360±0.61, 3.101±0.59 μg analyte/g extract, respectively), while the ethanol extract contained oleanolic, betulinic, and ursolic acids (10.394±2.70, 10.122±1.92, 5.499±0.82 μg analyte/g extract, respectively). The obtained data show that the ethanol extract of the species is richer in triterpenoids compared to the acetone extract.
