Phytochemical constituents from the leaves of soybean [Glycine max (L.) merr.]

Abstract

Phytochemicals study from the leaves of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], one of Korean edible plant materials were investigated through various chromatographic procedures. The methanolic leaves extracts of soybean yielded 16 phytochemicals, including 5 isoflavones 1-5, 3 flavones 6-8, 1 flavonol 9, 2 pterocarpans 10 and 11, 2 phenolic compounds 12 and 13, 2 phytosterols 14 and 15, and I sugar alcohol 16. The structures were fully characterized by analysis of physical and spectral data and were defined clearly as 4,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone (1), 4,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone-7-O-beta-D-glueopyranoside (2), 4,7-dihydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone (3), 4,7-dihydroxyisoflavone (4), 4,7-dihydroxyisoflavone-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), 5,7,4'-trihydroxyflavone (6), 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone (7), 3',4',5-trihydroxyflavone-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavonol (9), coumestrol (10), glyceofuran (11), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (12), methyl-4-hydroxybenzoate (13), soyasapogenol B (14), stigmasterol (15), and D-mannitol (16), respectively. Among them, phytochemicals 7-16 were reported for the first time on the isolation and confirmation from the leaves of this species. These results suggest that the leaves extracts of soybean may possess possible health related benefits to human due to the isolated phytochemicals 1-16 which have been well known potential effects on various chronic diseases.