The College of Pharmacy discussed the MSc thesis entitled “Phytochemical Investigation of Aerial Part of Sanchezia speciosa (Family: Acanthaceae) Cultivated in Iraq and Assessment of its Antileishmanial Activity” by the student Muntadher Salim Rasool and the supervisor, Associate Professor. Dr. Thukaa Zuhair Abdul-Jalil, at the Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Department.The study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition of Sanchezia speciosa cultivated in Iraq and to evaluate the antileishmanial effect of its petroleum ether and ethyl acetate fractions against two types of leishmania (Leishmania donovani and Leishmania tropica), as no previous studies have been conducted on this cultivated Iraqi species.The study included extraction using a Soxhlet apparatus with 85% aqueous methanol, after defatting with petroleum ether. The extracts were then fractionated using solvents of different polarities (chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol). The identification of the active constituents was done using chemical tests, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the petroleum ether fraction. Additionally, compounds were isolated by techniques such as combi-flash, HPLC, and preparative TLC (PLC), and characterized using TLC, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR), and Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The antileishmanial activity was assessed by examining the effect of petroleum ether fraction (F1) and ethyl acetate fraction (F3) on Leishmania donovani and Leishmania tropica, and compared with the reference drug (Pentostam) by calculating the inhibition rate (IR%) using the MTT assay.The results showed the presence of several compounds, including lupeol, stigmasterol, daucosterol, ferulic acid, scopoletin, luteolin, P-coumaric acid, apigenin, catechin, genistein, naringenin, caffeic acid, syringic acid, with an alkaloidal compound that was isolated for the first time. Additionally, the results showed a higher IR% than the reference drug, with the IC50 for (F1) being 72 µg/ml and 96 µg/ml for Leishmania donovani and Leishmania tropica, respectively. In comparison, (F3) had IC50 values of 112 µg/ml and 126 µg/ml for Leishmania donovani and Leishmania tropica, respectively.The study recommended further investigation of Iraqi Sanchezia speciosa, a promising natural source that is rich in many phytochemicals, which can open new horizons for its pharmacological activities and pharmaceutical applications.
