DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v28i2.58

Keywords: Carbazole alkaloids, Murraya koenigii, Rutaceae, mahanimbine, murrayazolinol

Abstract

Murraya koenigii, from the family Rutaceae, is commonly known as the curry leaf plant. It is widely grown across Southeast Asia, mainly in India and Sri Lanka. M. koenigii is known for its carbazole alkaloids which interact intricately to produce pharmacodynamic effects. In this study, carbazole alkaloids were isolated and characterised. The leaves of M. koenigii were macerated with hexane, dichloromethane and methanol to produce three crude extracts. From the hexane crude, eight fractions were eluted via column chromatography. Two compounds were successfully isolated by preparative TLC with a solvent system of hexane:DCM (3:2). Both compounds were characterised by NMR (1D and 2D spectroscopy) and FTIR, and successfully identified as mahanimbine (1) and murrayazolinol (2). When tested individually by TLC, mahanimbine had an R_f value of 0.69 with a solvent system of hexane:DCM (2:3), while murrayazolinol had an R_f value of 0.62 with a solvent system of hexane:DCM (1:1). Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for cytotoxic activity using MTT assays. Mahanimbine (1) showed moderate cytotoxicity against HeLa (CD₅₀ = 21.4 ± 3.0 µg/mL) and weak activity against HL-60 (38.2 ± 6.2 µg/mL), whereas murrayazolinol (2) exhibited weak cytotoxicity against HeLa (46.0 ± 4.4 µg/mL) and HL-60 (42.2 ± 3.6 µg/mL), with low activity against normal NIH/3T3 cells (>60 µg/mL). Assessment of their cytotoxic activity provides valuable insights into their potential as lead compounds for anticancer drugs. These results confirm the pharmacological value of Murraya koenigii and its potential in natural therapeutic product research.