Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric fingerprints of bioactive phytochemicals from hexane extract of Securidaca longipedunculata leaves

Abstract

Securidaca longipedunculata (Fresen.) is a Nigerian medicinal plant commonly used to fever, inflammation, infections, and pain-related ailments. Despite its significant role in ethnomedicine, the phytoconstituents for its pharmacological activities remain inadequately characterized. The aim of this study is to identify and characterize the bioactive compounds from n-hexane extract of S. longipedunculata using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). The plant materials were collected, authenticated and cold macerated with nhexane for 48hrs. The resulting n-hexane extract was profiled using GC–MS analysis for compound’s identifications. A total of 29 Compounds were identified and belong to different class of natural products of fatty acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, esters, and phenolic derivatives with a long history of antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. These compounds included: 9,19-cycloergost-24-(28)-en-3-ol, 4,14-dimethyl-, acetate, (3-beta,4- alpha,5-alpha)-urs-12-en-3-ol, acetate-(3-beta); 1,6,10,14,18,22- tetracosahexen-3-ol; 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyl; (all-E)-(.+/-.); olean-12-en-3- ol; acetate-(3-beta). The findings of the study show that, S. longipedunculata contains bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic properties that further validate its myriad its traditional uses. Thus, the phytochemical profiles reported in this work provides scientific insight into various class of compounds present in S. longipedunculata which will inform future research to explore other pharmacological properties.