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
a-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 ?-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.
Keywords:Strychnos innocua, Phytochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Therapeutics,
Gas chromatography
