Phytochemical Profiling of Euphorbia polycnemoides Aerial Parts Extracts by GC–MS and Their Pharmacological Relevance

Abstract

The Euphorbia genus (family Euphorbiaceae) comprises more than 2000 
species widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, many of which are 
used in traditional medicine for managing infections, inflammation, and 
metabolic disorders. However, there is limited phytochemical information on 
Euphorbia polycnemoides. In this study, Gas Chromatography–Mass 
spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis was conducted to profile the phytochemical 
constituents of its aerial parts across different solvent extracts. A total of 8 
compounds were identified in the ethyl acetate extract, 11 in the ethanol extract, 
14 in the methanol extract, and 18 in the aqueous extract. The ethyl acetate 
extract was dominated by phytol (20.08%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (6%). The 
ethanol extract exhibited a high content of n-hexadecanoic acid (10.86%) and 
hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester (2.76%). The methanol extract showed a high 
abundance of phytol (10.84%), hexadecanoic acid (4.14%), and hexadecanoic 
acid, ethyl ester (6.33%). The aqueous extract was found to be rich in terpenes, 
such as o-cymene (3.08%), L-.alpha.-terpineol (16.36%), and safrole (1.52%) 
The identified compounds included fatty acids and their esters, phthalates, 
terpenoids, alcohols, aldehydes, and heterocyclic derivatives. Major 
constituents such as n-hexadecanoic acid , octadecanoic acid , benzene, 1
methyl-4-(1-methylethenyl)-,phytol, and methyl stearate are known to possess 
antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. The 
results provide chemical evidence supporting the ethnomedicinal use of E. 
polycnemoides and suggest its potential as a source of bioactive compounds for 
therapeutic applications.