Extract of vicia faba beans

Abstract

The extract of Vicia faba beans is prepared by soaking beans in distilled water overnight and then boiling in a water bath to reduce the volume of aqueous extract, which is then homogenized and filtered. The filtrate is concentrated to a smaller volume, lyophilized, and powdered. The lyophilized powder is extracted with hexane to remove oils and lipids. The oil-free lyophilized powder is dissolved in ethanol solvent and extracted for eight hours under reflux, and filtered. The volume of ethanol is reduced by a rotary evaporator, and a first off-white precipitate (sample A-1) is collected, washed with ethanol, and dried at 80° C. Mass spectrometry shows a molecular weight of 200.16447 g mol−1, and an empirical formula of C9H16N2O3 is assigned. Intraperitoneal injection of mice with 50 mg / kg of A-1 twenty minutes prior to injection with strychnine protected the mice from strychnine-induced convulsions to the same extent as phenobarbitone (phenobarbital).

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a division of application Ser. No. 16 / 145,090, filed Sep. 27, 2018, now pending.BACKGROUND1. Field[0002]The disclosure of the present patent application relates to anticonvulsant compounds of potential use in the treatment of epilepsy or avoidance of epileptic seizures, and particularly to an extract of Vicia faba beans, also known as broad beans, fava beans, or faba beans, and method of extracting the beans to obtain an anticonvulsant.2. Description of the Related Art[0003]The plant Vicia faba, also known as the broad bean, faba bean, fava bean, etc., is an ancient flowering plant long cultivated in and native to the Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia. It is a legume belonging to the Fabaceae bean family, having a broad, leathery pod and green fruit that mature to a blackish-brown color. Vicia faba can grow in cold and hot countries, withstanding harsh and cold climates, in soils with high salinity and a wide ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a method for extracting a compound called A-1 from Vicia faba beans. This compound has shown potential as an anticonvulsant in animal models. The process involves soaking the beans in water overnight, boiling them to reduce their volume, and then concentrating the extract. The concentrate is then dissolved in ethanol and subjected to a chemical separation process. The resulting compound, A-1, was found to protect mice from strychnine-induced convulsons to the same extent as a control compound called phenobarbitone. Another compound, A-2, was also isolated from the extract, but was not found to be as effective as A-1. The patent also discusses a method for further isolating and characterizing these compounds using various techniques.

Problems solved by technology

Broad bean plants are highly susceptible to early summer infestations that can cause discoloration of pods, resulting in reduction of their economic value.

These plants also are prone to bacterial and fungal diseases.

Further extraction of the remaining ethanol solvent by column chromatography with a mixture of ammonium hydroxide, methanol, and ethanol extraction solvents produces a second off-white precipitate (sample A-2), which delays the onset of strychnine-induced convulsions, but is not as effective as sample A-1.

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