Phytochemical analysis of Dodonaea angustifolia plant extracts

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the presence of potential bioactivephy to chemicals such as flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, saponins, tannins, steroids proteins and cardiac glycosides in the leaves, bark and stems extracts of Dodonaea angustifolia plant commonly found in Eritrea. Plant parts samples were collected from Habrengaka and Balwa areas in Anseba region, Eritrea. Ethanol, diethyl ether and methanol solvents were used in the extraction. Preliminary phytochemical analysis and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) was carried out on plant extracts. Elution was done by step gradient method in which polar and non-polar solvents in varying proportions were used as mobile phase. It was found that alkaloids, anthraquinones, glycosides, essential oils, phenolics, saponins and terpenoids were present in leaf, stem and bark extracts of all the three solvents used. Flavonoids was detected in leaf extracts of all the three solvents and in ethanolic stem extracts but was not detected in methanolic and diethyl ether stem extracts and in the bark extracts of all the three solvents. Steroids was present in ethanolic leaf extract and in bark extracts of all the three solvents while tannin was present only in methanolic leaf and bark extracts.