Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken is a plant used in treatment/management of ear-ache, cough, gastro-intestinal disorders and inflammation. Prior to this study, reports of the isolation of cardiac glycosides from the ethyl-acetate fraction of the plant abound. However, very scanty or no literature exists on other organic fractions from where chemical constituents could also be obtained. Hence, the chemical and biological properties of the butanol fraction of the plant were studied. The silica gel column chromatography of the fraction led to a steroidal terpene whose identity has been revealed to be 3-hydroxy-(3β, 17β)-spiro(androst-5-ene-17,1ʹ-cyclobutan)-2ʹ-one using the MS and IR spectral techniques. This compound was strongly bacteriostatic against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albican sbut recorded no activity against Escherichia coli.
Key words: Butanol, chromatography, terpene, bacteriostatic, Bryophyllum pinnatum.
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