~ 68 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2014; 3 (1): 68-72 ISSN 2278-4136 ISSN 2349-8234 JPP 2014; 3 (1): 68-72 Received: 19-03-2014 Accepted: 12-04-2014 Léa Herilala Rasoanaivo Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et Chimie Organique Biologique (LCSN/COB), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Anne Wadouachi Laboratoire de Glycochimie des Antimicrobiens et des Agro-ressources. CNRS FRE 3517, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens France. Tianarilalaina Tantely Andriamampianina Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Générale, de Pharmacocinétiques et de Cosmétologie(LPGPC), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Solofoniaina Gabriel Andriamalala Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Générale, de Pharmacocinétiques et de Cosmétologie(LPGPC), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Ernest Jeannot Bako Razafindrakoto Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et Chimie Organique Biologique (LCSN/COB), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Amélie Raharisololalao Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et Chimie Organique Biologique (LCSN/COB), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Fanantenanirainy Randimbivololona Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Générale, de Pharmacocinétiques et de Cosmétologie(LPGPC), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Correspondence: Léa Herilala Rasoanaivo Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et Chimie Organique Biologique (LCSN/COB), Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906 Ankatso, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar Email: learasoa3@yahoo.fr Triterpenes and steroids from the stem bark of Gambeya boiviniana Pierre Léa Herilala Rasoanaivo, Anne Wadouachi, Tianarilalaina Tantely Andriamampianina, Solofoniaina Gabriel Andriamalala, Ernest Jeannot Bako Razafindrakoto, Amélie Raharisololalao, Fanantenanirainy Randimbivololona ABSTRACT A chemical study was done on the stem bark of Gambeya boiviniana Pierre. This plant has been used in traditional medicine for treatment of different kinds of inflammation disorders. In the present study, anti- inflammatory activities of ethanolic, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and butanolic extracts were assayed in mice using carrageenan-induced paw edema. Ethyl acetate extract was found to possess the most significant anti-inflammatory effect (67, 78%). These results are in accordance with the folk use of this plant. However, more research is needed for its use in clinical studies. The separations of the chemical compounds of ethyl acetate extract were carried out by different chromatographic technics and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic method including nuclear magnetic, mass spectrometry, IR spectrometry, GC/MS. Nine compounds were identified during this investigation. There are lupeol acetate 3, β amyrin acetate 4, α amyrin acetate 6, taraxasterol acetate 5, fatty acid ester of lupeol 2 and fatty acid ester of β-amyrin 1, chondrillasterol 7, β-sitosterol 8, β-sitosterol-3-O-glucoside 9. Keywords: Gambeya boiviniana, Sapotaceae, anti-inflammatory, Triterpenes, steroids, stem bark. 1. Introduction Gambeya, syn Chrysophyllum Linn is a large genus of Sapotaceae about 80 species [1] . Ten species of Chrysophyllum have been represented in Madagascar [1, 2] . Of these Gambeya boiviniana Pierre, syn. Chrysophyllum boivinianum Baehni, Gambeya madagascariensis Lecomte known as vernacular name "famelona" with biggest leaves is distributed mainly in Comore and in the east of Madagascar. It is used for interior and exterior joinery, furniture, molding, paneling, flooring, light scales and in shipbuilding because of its elasticity [1] . In Madagascar, the leaves of Gambeya boiviniana provide one of the ingredients in herbal mixtures used to relieve the symptoms of malaria, fatigue, muscle pain, treat poisoning and heals the child subject to simple febrile seizure [1, 2] . The African species of Gambeya showed interesting pharmacological properties as anti-tumoral, antimicrobial, an anti-inflammatory [1, 2, 3, 4] . The chemical constituents of some Gambeya species of Africa have been studied such as steroids, steroids glycosides, pentacyclic triterpenoids, and fatty acid esters of triterpenoids have been identified [1, 2] . In this paper we study the acute anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts and the isolation and identification of steroids, triterpenoids and fatty acid esters of triterpenoids from the AcOEt extract of the stem bark of Gambeya boiviniana. Nine compounds were also identified as fatty acid ester of β-amyrin 1, fatty acid ester of lupeol 2, lupeol acetate 3, β amyrin acetate 4, α amyrin acetate 6, taraxasterol acetate 5, and chondrillasterol 7, β-sitosterol 8, β-sitosterol-3-O- glycoside 9. This is the first chemical and biological study of the stem bark of this plant to the best of our knowledge. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1 General experimental procedures 1D ( 1 H, 13 C, DEPT) and 2D ( 1 H- 1 H COSY, 1 H- 13 C HSQC, 1 H- 13 C HMBC) NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker Varian 300 NMR and 600 NMR operating at 300.15/100.6 MHz and 600MHz using CDCl3, CD3OD or DMSO-d6 as solvent and TMS as an internal standard. Column chromatography (CC) was carried out on silica gel F254 (Merck) in glass blades. Thin