Abstract

GC-MS ANALYSIS OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN THE LEAF EXTRACTS OF CAPPARIS DIVERSIFOLIA WIGHT & ARN. – AN ENDEMIC TAXON OF SOUTHERN WESTERN GHATS

Jacintha Tamil Malar A.*, Sarvana Gandhi A., Uthayakumari F. and Santhana Mari

Abstract

Capparis diversifolia Wight & Arn. is a shrub belonging to capparaceae, endemic to southern Western Ghats. The stem and leaf of this plant is used in traditional folk medicine to relieve variety of pains, skin diseases and to clean eyes. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometric analysis of methanol extract of leaf revealed the presence of thirty compounds. The major phytoconstituents were 6, 6, 7- Trimethyl-9-oxo-3 oxabicyclo (3.3.1) nonane 2, 4-dinitrophenyl hydrazone (15.36%), 2,6-dimethyl-N-(2methyl-à-phenylbenzyl) aniline (12.87%), 1, 12-octadecandiol (9.46%) and phytol (9.37%). From the study it is obvious that Capparis diversifolia leaf extract contains many bioactive compounds and it also gives a detailed insight about the phytochemical profile which could be exploited for the development of plant based drugs.

Keywords: GC-MS analysis, Capparis diversifolia, methanolic extract.