Profiling of phytochemical composition and potential bioactive compounds in Calotropis gigantea

Abstract

Phytochemicals derived from medicinal plants are important sources of therapeutic agents in pharmaceutical research and development. Calotropis gigantea is a medicinal herb that belongs to the family Apocynaceae, native to South and Southeast Asia. This latex bearing plant has two varieties: white-flowered and purple-flowered form. The current study was conducted to preliminary screen the phytochemicals and to assess the potential bioactive components found in the methanol fraction of leaves and flowers of Calotropis gigantea by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The dried powder of leaves and flowers of C. gigatea were subjected to cold maceration extraction by methanol. The rotary evaporated crude extract was dissolved in methanol to prepare 100000 ppm extract and it was subjected to GCMS analysis and 10000 ppm extract was used for screening tests. Alkaloids, phenols, tannins, carbohydrates and steroids were found in leaf and flower extracts after conducting a phytochemical screening. While reducing sugars, terpenoids, and flavonoids were only discovered in floral extracts. Both extracts were found to be devoid of saponins, proteins, and other essential amino acids. Fifty eight compounds were identified from the flower extract and fifty nine compounds were identified from the leaf extract by the GC-MS analysis. Most prevalent identified chemical compounds are 9,12,15- Octadecatrienoic acid (Z,Z,Z), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, n- Hexadecanoic acid, gamma- Sitosterol, Squalene, Phytol, 9-Octadecanoic acid, 4-Hydroxy-2-methyl acetophenone, Ergost-5- ene-3-ol (3-beta), Stigmasterol, Neophytadiene, Squalene, ethyl-9,12,15-octadecatrienoate, Larisiresinol, Stigmasta-5,24-(28)-dien-3-ol (3-beta, 24 Z), Olean-12-en-3-ol acetate (3-beta), Lanosta-8,24-dien-3-ol acetate (3-beta) and Alpha-Amyrin. Most of these chemical compounds are responsible for significant bioactivities. The reported bioactivities of the identified compounds confirm that the C. gigantea comprised mainly of antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, Anti-cancer, anti-diabetic agents. The findings of the study imply that C. gigantea is a valuable medicinal plant and potential bioactivities of the components need further study.