Abstract

GCMS AND HPTLC ANALYSIS OF MUSSEANDA ERYTHROPHYLLA LEAF EXTRACT

Rojin T. S.*

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Aim: Medicinal plants are potent natural source of medicinal products in traditional medicine and are the chemical entities for the development of drugs. The recent years have witnessed a growing interest in using plant based medicines. Therefore it is important to know the phytochemical composition for the better understanding of safety, efficacy and mechanism of how exactly the plant extracts produce the beneficial effect. Hence the present study aimed to identify the phytochemical composition of Mussaenda erythrophylla by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and High performance thin layer chromatography(HPTLC). Methodology Sample preparation for GC-MS: 1 g of Mussaenda erythrophylla leaf powder was extracted in 100 ml of diethyl ether using Soxhlet apparatus. The extract was concentrated to dryness and analyzed for composition by GCMS. Phytochemical analysis using High-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC): One gram ofpowdered sample of Mussaenda erythrophylla was dissolved in 10 ml ethanol and kept for cold percolation for 24h and filtered. The samples of were applied on a pre-coated silica gel F254 on aluminum plates to a bandwidth of 7 mm using Linomat 5 TLC applicator. Results: Twenty-one constituents were eluted by gas-liquid chromatography of Mussaenda erythrophylla leaf extract. Phenol, 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl) at Rt (retention time) of 12.481 min and peak area of 25.55% was a major compound identified from the extract. Conclusion: Chromatography can readily ascertain the presence of the essential chemical constituents of a medicinal plant and detection of their presence in a preparation. Further studies are required to evaluate and confirm the pharmacological effects of Phenol,2,4-bis (1,1-dimethyl ethyl) and n-hexadecenoic acid and Phytol which were obtained as major constituents of Mussaenda erythrophylla.

Keywords: Mussaenda erythrophylla, gas chromatography, n-hexadecenoic acid, antioxidant.