This document discusses the plant Digitalis purpurea, commonly known as foxglove. It contains cardiac glycosides such as digitoxin and digoxin. The leaves are harvested and dried below 60 degrees Celsius. Chemical tests can detect the presence of digitoxose, and the active constituents can be extracted and isolated using organic solvents and chromatography. The extracts and isolated compounds are estimated through colorimetric analysis and used commercially to treat conditions like heart failure and arrhythmias under brand names like Lanatoside C, Digitoxin, and Digoxin.

1. DIGITALIS

2. CONTENTS
• BIOLOGICAL SOURCE
• CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
• CHEMICAL TEST
• EXTRACTION AND ISOLATION
• ESTIMATION AMD ANALYSIS
• COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

3. • SYNONYM : Digitalis leaves or foxglove leaves
• B.S : Digitalis consists of dried leaves of
Digitalis purpurea , family-Scrophulariaceae,
dried at a temperature below 60 degree
celsius,immediately after collecting.
 It contains NLT 0.3% of total cardenolides
calculated as digitoxin.
 It should contain NMT 5% of moisture
content.

4. Digitalis purpurea Digitalis lanata

5. .
Digitalis purpurea Digitalis lanata
• Leaf- lanceolate or Leaf- sessile,
broadly ovate leaves oblong- lanceolate
• C. C- Digitoxin C. C- Digoxin

6. CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
• Contains 0.2 – 0.45 %mixture of both primary
and secondary cardiac glycoside(cardenolides)
• Pupurea glycoside A & B and glucogitaloxin
are primary glycoside possessing at C-3 of
aglycone,a linear chain of 3 digitoxose
moieties terminated by glucose.
• Primary glycosides are less absorbed and less
stable than secondary glycosides such as
digitoxin,gitoxin and gitaloxin.

7. Purpurea glycoside A Purpurea glycoside B
enzymatic enzymatic hydrolysis
hydrolysis
Gitoxin + Glucose
Digitoxin + Glucose
hydrolysis
hydrolysis Gitoxigenin+3 digitoxose
Digitoxigenin + 3 digitoxose

8. • Glucogitaloxin
Gitaloxin + Glucose
Gitaloxigenin + 3Digitoxose

11. CHEMICAL TEST
• Keller-kiliani test for digitoxose
• Legal test
• Baljet test

12. EXTRACTION & ISOLATION-BY STAS OTTO-
METHOD(general method for glycoside)
Powdered drug of Digitalis lanata (10 gm)
Extracted by continuous hot percolation with alcohol in soxhlet
apparatus (During this process , enzyme glycosidase is deactivated)
To the extract , lead acetate is added to ppt tannins
Filtered and passed H2S gas to ppt excess lead acetate and lead
sulphide(PbS) or sulphuric acid is passed to ppt lead acetate as lead
sulphate
Filtrate is concentrated

13. .
• From crude glycoside fraction ,the pure
glycoside(digoxin) is obtained by fractional
solubility , fractional crystallisation and
various chromatographic techniques
(Reference: A Textbook of Pharmacognosy by
N P S Senegar
Ritesh Agarwal
Ashwini Singh , Page no : 133 )

14. Extraction and isolation of Digitoxin
Powdered leaves of Digitalis purpurea are macerated with
water at 45 degree celsius degee for 4-5 hrs
The leaves are again macerated with 20% methanol for 24
hrs
The aq. And methanolic extract are mixed together
The final extract was made alkaline with NaOH(for
hydrolysis)
Extracted with chloroform solution

15. .
Evaporated chloroform and extracted to dryness
The residue obtained was chromatographed
The coloumn was packed with silica gel G and eluted by
gradient technique initially with CCl4, then with ethyl
acetate and methanol .
• CCl4 fragment contains coluoring pigments
• Ethyl acetate fraction contain flavones and
anthraquinones
• Methanol fraction contains digitoxin
( Referance: A Textbook of Pharmacognosy by N P S Senegar, Ritesh Agarwal, Aswini Singh
Page No : 135 )

16. • TLC METHOD:
Stationary phase : Absorbent – Precoated
silica gel
Mobile phase : Benzene : Ethanol(7:3)
Sample : Plant extract(leaf)
Detecting agent: p- Anisaldehyde , perchloric
acid
Observation: UV 350 nm ,blue spot was
produced

17. ESTIMATION &ANALYSIS
COLORIMETRIC ANALYSIS,BP 1998 METHOD :
Digoxin extract is treated with 3,5
Dinitrobenzoic acid and Benzyl trimethyl
ammonium hydroxide
Bluish red colour is formed
Colorimetrically measured at 550 nm

18. .
Assay of Digoxin (IP 66)
Weighed about 40 mg of Digoxin , dissolved it
in 95% of ethanol and make up volume to 50
ml.
Pipette out 5 ml from the above stock soln.
and make up the volume to 100 ml with
95%ethanol
Again pipette out 5ml from the above stock
soln. and add 3 ml of alkaline picric acid
Allow to stand for 30 mins.
Measure the absorbance at 495 nm

19. ( REFERENCE : Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry II by Dr T.
Sudha Page no 222- 226)

20. COMMERCIAL APPLICATION
1.Digitalis purpurea :natural glycoside of D.purpurea are
not prepared in pure form,but two derivatives are in
use.
a)Digitoxin
b)Gitalin
2. Digitalis lanata : not used in crude form,but derivaties
are in use.
a)Digilanid: purified mixture of three glycoside,
lanatoside A -47%
lanatoside B -10%
lanatoside C-37%

21. b)Lanatoside A: not used in purified form,but
two commercial preparation are derived from
this;
• Digitoxin
• Acetyl digitoxin
c)Lanatoside C: purified natural glycoside is in
wide clinical use especially IV for rapid effect.

22. BRAND NAMES
GENERIC NAME BRAND NAME USE
1. DIGOXIN a) CARDIN tab
b) DIXIN tab
Used in conditions like
hypertension and angina
Treat heart failure and
irregular heartbeat
2. LANATOSIDE C a) CEDELANID tab
b) CEGLUNAT
Used for treatment of CHF
and cardiac arrhythmia .
Given orally and I.V route
3. ACETYL DIGOXIN a) DIGOSTADA MITE tab
b) NOVODIGAL
Used for fast digitalisation
in CHF

23. OTHER EXAMPLES
• Digitoxin – Used in the treatment of
congestive cardiac insufficiency.
• Deslanoside – for treatment and management
of congestive cardiac insufficiency
,arrhythmias and heart failure.
• CARDIN TABLET -