PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND GC–MS ANALYSIS OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS PRESENT IN HYDROETHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF SOLANUM AETHIOPICUM (L)

Solanum aethiopicum is a popular traditional vegetable cultivated widely in tropical Africa. It is a species of garden egg grown mostly for the nutritional and medicinal values of its leaves and fruits. This research was carried out to investigate the phytochemicals and GC-MS analysis of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Solanum aethiopicum.

Fresh, healthy, and young leaves of the plant were collected from a farm in Omuokiri in Aluu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. These collected leaves were air-dried and grounded into a powdered form and subjected to selective sequential extraction using water and ethanol to obtain a hydroethanolic extract. The extract was then subjected to qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses as well as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS), to determine its bioactive constituents.

The quantitative determination of the different biologically active compounds from the hydroethanolic leaf extract of the plant using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of fifteen (15) bioactive and chemical entities of known biological activities. These chemical entities found in the leaf of the studied plant were found to vary in their molecular weights and amounts present and were considered to be biologically and pharmacologically important.

The study has established the chemical composition of the leaf of Solanum aethiopicum and therefore provides the basis for accounting for its anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, weight reduction, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, and immuno-modulatory activities.