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Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Phytochemicals in Methanolic Extracts of Hurricane Weed ( Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. &Thonn) Plant
AMEEN, OA; HAMID, AA; YUSUF, Q; NJOKU, OG; OSENI, TO & JAMIU, W
Abstract
The phytocomponents of the leaf and root extracts of Phyllanthus amarus (Euphorbiaceae) were
studied. The constituents of the leaves and roots were identified and quantified by using GC-MS. Result from the
phytochemical analyses showed the presence of saponins, tannins, phenolics, anthocyanins, and glycosides in both leaves
and root of the plant. Alkaloids and triterpenoids were, however only absent in the root of P. amarus but present in the
leaves of the plant. Flavonoids, coumarins and steroids were absent in the leaves but present in the root part. The mean
concentration of the phytochemicals investigated in leaves are 0.73±0.01%, 1.85±0.03%, 1.12±0.01%, 1.80±0.01%,
1.59±0.50%, 0.13±0.10%, and 0.86±0.01%, for saponins, tannins, phenolics, anthocyanins, alkaloids, triterpenoids, and
glycosides respectively, while the mean concentration of the phytochemicals investigated in roots are 0.91±0.01%,
1.53±0.03%, 0.70±0.01%, 2.97±0.10%, 2.47±0.03%, 0.62±0.01%, 0.90±0.01% and 2.02±0.10% for saponins, tannins,
phenolics, steroids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, glycosides and coumarins respectively. Furthermore, the GC-MS analysis
of methanol extracts of the leaves and root of P. amarus revealed the presence of three medicinally important bioactive
compounds, which are: 9-Octadecenoic acid which has percentage of abundance of 92.23% and 82.46% in leaves and
roots of the plant respectively, followed by n-Hexadecanoic acid and Tetradecanoic acid with their corresponding
percentage of abundance of 7.7% and 17.54% for leaves and root. These analytical results suggest the plantto possess a
significant role in phyto-medicine. The importance of this plant was discussed in line with the role they play in ethnomedicinal
life of the people.
Keywords
Phyllanthus amarus; Phytochemicals; GC-MS; methanolic extract; Phytocomponents
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