Bioactive compounds in ethanolic extract of <em>Strychnos innocua</em> root using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

Abstract

Medicinal plants are of great relevance with endless pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties. They are source of wide array of secondary metabolites or bioactive compounds/phytochemicals (phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, steroids and saponins) which are capable of discharging numerous biological functions (antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, anti-fibrotic, immune-modulatory, cytotoxic, antipyretic, antitumor, antihelminthic, antiprotozoal, antibacterial and so on). The use of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis in identifying the bioactive compounds in ethanolic extract of Strychnos innocua root is a fundamental technique in quantifying the unknown samples, trace elements and contaminants leading to the discovery of novel compounds of pharmaceutical and biomedical importance. Result obtained showed that Strychnos innocua root extract contains 39 bioactive compounds with α-Cubebene (20.09%) having the highest concentration followed by Dibutyl benzene-1,2–dicarboxylate (10.17%), β-Elemenone (10.02%), 4-Methoxy-2-nitroformanilide (7.21%), 1-Methyl cyclopropane methanol (5.96%), 1, 3 propanediol, 2-ethyl 2-hydroxymethyl (3.71%), Azelaic acid (2.87%), Glycidol stearate (2.85%), Chloromethyl 2-chlorodecanoate (2.83%) and γ-terpinene (2.56%) respectively. The remaining 29 bioactive compounds have concentrations less than 2%. It was concluded that all the compounds observed are sources of medication that can be used traditionally in the treatment of human and animal diseases.