Chemical Constituents and Insecticidal Activity of Senna italica Mill. from the Sudan

The chemical constituents and insecticidal activity of the pods of Senna italica (Caesalpiniaceae, Fabaceae) were investigated. From the chloroform extract of pods, physcion, chrysophanol, chrysophanol-10,10′-bianthrone, chrysophanol-physcion bianthrone and chrysophanol-isophyscion bianthrone, were isolated and characterized using different spectral methods. The GC-MS of the n-hexane extract revealed that the major chemical constituents of the oil were 2,6,-di-sec-butylphenol (36.69 %), di-n-octylphthalate (12.06 %), eicosane (5.46 %), tetratriacontane (4.87 %) and 2,2'-methylenebis[6-(1,1-dimethyl)-4-methylphenol (4.18 %). The n-hexane extract showed potent insecticidal activity (100 %) against Callosbruchus analis F. This study suggests that S. italica pods cannot be a source of sennosides but for other bioactive compounds.