Investigation of Bioactive Phytochemical Compounds from the Chloroform Extract of the Leaves of Phyllanthus amarus by GC-MS Technique

About author
Okenwa Uchenna Igwe* and Felicia Uchechukwu Okwunodulu
Department of Chemistry, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,
Umudike,  P.M.B. 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria.

Abstract
The chloroform extract of the leaves of Phyllanthus amarus yielded dark oily substance (5.68 g). The extract was subjected to GC-MS analysis. Ten phytochemicals were identified with 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid(57.05%) constituting the bulk of the oil followed by L-(+)-ascorbic acid 2,6-dihexadecanoate (22.54%). Other compounds identified include hexadecanoic acid, 1-methylethyl ester (5.39%), methanesulfonic acid, 2-(2-hydroxy-hexahydropentalen-3a-yl)-ethyl ester (3.24%), tetradecanoic acid (2.90%), dodecanoic acid (2.53%), 1-nonadecene (2.17%), 1-heptadecene (1.86%), hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (1.25%) and tetradecanoic acid,1-methylethyl ester(1.07%). The presence of these phytochemicals might have contributed to the reasons why the plant extract is used in herbal medicine for the treatment of health disorders, diseases and infections in Eastern Nigeria.
Keywords: GC-MS analysis, Phyllanthus amarus, Phytochemicals, Herbal medicine, Chloroform extract