Abstract:
Alstonia scholaris or commonly known as the pulai is a plant that is often found
in the Southeast Asian region. This plant belongs to the Apocynaceae family. It
has the potential as a medicinal ingredient for various diseases because of the
presence of several secondary metabolites. This study aims to isolate and
characterize alkaloid secondary metabolites from the dichloromethane fraction of
the stem bark of the A. scholaris plant and to analyze the toxicity test of the
dichloromethane fraction from the stem bark of the A. scholaris plant.
Phytochemical tests from the bark of the A. scholaris plant showed the presence
of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, phenolics and terpenoids. The
extraction process was carried out using the maceration method with methanol
solvent and followed by a fractionation process using the acid-base partition
method to obtain a thick dichloromethane extract. Separation of components in
the sample was carried out using flash chromatography, gel chromatography and
preparative thin layer chromatography. Characterization with the UV-Vis
spectrum obtained a maximum wavelength at 338 nm indicated the presence of
conjugated double bonds. Toxicity testing was conducted using the brine shrimp
lethality test (BSLT) method. The results of the toxicity test on the
dichloromethane fraction of A. scholaris stem bark obtained an LC50 value higher
than 1000 ppm. Therefore the dicholoromethane was considered as non-toxic
extract.
