Comparative Screening of Phytochemicals and Bioactive Compounds of Trema orientalis (Linn. Blume) Leaf and Bark Extracts

Abstract

This study compared the phytochemical constituents of the leaf with the Bark extracts of T. orientalis, using the same extraction solvents. The leaf and Bark of T. orientalis were harvested at Federal University of Technology, Akure forest, dried and pulverized into powder. Extract were prepared from the powdered plants using Methanol and N-hexane.  The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical presents in the extracts were determined. The functional compounds of the leaf extract were determined by Fourier Transmission Infrared Spectrometry (FT-IR). Percentage yield of Methanol was better than N-hexane for both plant parts. The phytochemicals revealed includes: Tannins, Saponins, Flavonoids, Steroids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. Steroids are present in Leaf extracts but absent in Bark extract, while Saponin is only present in methanol extract of Bark of the plant.  Quantitative analysis revealed that terpenoids have the highest amount with 22.90 ± 0.03 mg/g in methanol extract and 28.09 ± 0.07 mg/g in N-hexane, compared with Bark extract that has 22.22 ± 0.09 mg/g in methanol extract and 23.38 ± 0.04 mg/g in N-hexane extracts. Higher quantity of phytochemicals are present in the leaf compared with the Bark of T. orientalis The Fourier Transformed Infrared spectrometry analysis, FT-IR, unveiled the organic compounds available in the extracts, which are: aliphatic primary alcohol, secondary alcohol, aliphatic primary amine, alkane, alkene, carbon dioxide, deta-lactam, phenol, and halo compound. These results indicate that T. orientalis is promising in the choice of medicinal plant for therapeutic research.