Confusarin and nudol, two phenathrene group compounds, from Dioscorea esculenta L. and their antioxidant acitivities

Two phenathrene group compounds namely: confusarin and nudol are isolated from Dioscorea esculenta L. This species belongs to Dioscoreaceae family. The two compounds extraction is conducted by the maceration method using methanol solvent and partition with n-hexane and ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate extract is purified using various chromatographic techniques yielding pure compounds. The latter structure is determined by spectroscopic methods including UV/Vis, IR, 1D and 2D NMR. Confusarin and nudol are tested for their antioxidant activity against DPPH radical scavenging. They show IC₅₀ of 19,63 ± 0,09 and 37,91 ± 0,08 ppm, correspondingly.