#phytochemicals

The current study was carried out to analyze the phytochemical components of selected aquatic macrophytes. Phytochemicals are secondary metabolites produced by all plants which have medicinal uses. The analysis of whole plant extracts on aqueous, petroleum ether, chloroform, and methanol extracts of aquatic macrophyte plants of Ipomoea fistulosa, Cyperus longus, Polygonum glabrum and Hydrilla verticillata was investigated. The preliminary qualitative phytochemical analysis was done for the presence of bioactive constituents such as Alkaloids, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, phlobatannins, amino acids, proteins, saponins, sterols, tannins, terpenoids, quinones, oxalates, fats and oils in the solvent extract by using standard methods. Phytochemical screening not only helps reveal the constituents of the plant extracts and the ones that predominate over the others but also help search for bioactive agents that can be used to synthesize useful drugs. This review aims to provide a thorough review of traditional uses, phytoconstituents, and pharmacological effects.

Oat (Avena sativa), originally used as animal feeds is a cereal with both nutritional and therapeutic effects. This study as designed to investigate the phytochemical constituents, the presence of some micronutrients and heavy metals in oat milk. The Oat milk (Quaker oat®) was purchased in a supermarket in Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria and extracted using soxhlet apparatus with 80% methanol as soxhlet. The extract was then lyophilized slowly dried in an oven at 40°C and analyzed for the presence of phytochemicals using standard methods. Sample digestion for micronutrient and heavy metal determination was done with about 2 g of the sample measured into a digestion flask previously soaked in 20% HNO3 for 24 hrs using a mixture of 2 ml of conc. HClO4 and 12 ml of conc. NHO3. The digested sample was analyzed for the presence of some micronutrients (Zn, Se, Cu, Co, Ni) and heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Cd, Fe) using atomic absorption spectrometry. The study shows the presence of the following phytochemicals; alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides, reducing sugar, protein and carbohydrates. Micronutrients detected in the sample were Zn (12.02mg/kg), Se (0.08mg/kg), Cu (60±0.60mg/kg), Co (0.008±0.11mg/kg), Ni (0.10±0.02mg/kg) and heavy metals include; Pb (0.36±0.02g/kg), Cr (0.01±0.02 g/kg), Cd (0.04±0.01 g/kg), Fe (119.4±0.02g/kg). The micronutrient meets the requirements for the RDA and the detected heavy metals concentrations were above the permissible limit of WHO.

From ancient civilization, spices and herbs have played an important role in the lifestyle of people around the world. As Spices are being used from generation to generation as food additives and traditional medicines, these have been used as study materials to investigate its different bioactive properties and phytochemicals for their potential usage in the pharmaceutical industries. Phytochemicals are the compounds produced by plants, but not directly used for the growth and development rather engaged in protection against environmental and pathogenic stress. Plant materials were collected and water extraction method was applied for the preparation of extracts. After extraction all of the experiments were done according to standard protocols. Our study focused on the screening of the presence of valuable phytochemicals in ten widely used spices in Bangladesh. Among phytochemical screened tannin, glycosides and phenolic compounds are most abundant in all spices. The highest phenolic content was found in Syzygium aromaticum (67.77 µg GAE/ml of extract) and the lowest phenolic content was found in Coriandrum sativum (4.22 µg GAE/ml of extract). Among the spices, Myristica fragrans contained the highest tannin content (78.75 µg TAE/ml Extract) and Elettaria cardamomum contained the lowest tannin content (61 µg TAE/ml Extract). The study also employed the antibacterial activity of the spices extracts. The extracts showed the strongest antibacterial activity against the gram-positive bacteria when compared to the gram-negative bacteria. The highest zone of inhibition for Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Salmonella typhi were found 8.31 mm, 10.4 mm and 8.61 mm in Nigella sativa, Elettaria cardamomum and Amomum subulatum respectively, and the lowest zone of inhibition for Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Salmonella typhi were found 5.18 mm, 5.36 mm and 5.86 mm in Coriandrum sativum, Coriandrum sativum and Syzygium aromaticum respectively. Thin layer chromatographic (TLC) analysis was also done to check the presence of phyto-constituents. Our study revealed several spots (From 1 to 3) for different samples and their retention factors (Rf) were calculated. It is concluded that, results of these investigations had provided valuable information on further discovery of noble drugs.

Kamettia caryophyllata (Roxb.) Nicolson & Suresh, an endemic climber, has been traditionally used in various medicinal preparations, yet its phytochemical and pharmacological properties remain insufficiently explored. The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and biological activities of the methanolic fruit extract of K. caryophyllata. Preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out to identify major secondary metabolites. Quantitative estimation of phenolics and flavonoids was performed using standard spectrophotometric methods. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH radical-scavenging and phosphomolybdenum assays, and anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using nitric oxide scavenging and trypsin inhibition assays. GC–MS analysis was performed to identify specific bioactive compounds. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, and carbohydrates. Quantitative analysis showed high phenolic (169.69 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoid (78.62 mg QE/g extract) contents. The extract showed strong antioxidant activity, with EC₅₀ values of 5.20 µg/ml (DPPH) and 7.80 µg/ml (phosphomolybdenum), comparable to those of the standard ascorbic acid. Moderate anti-inflammatory activity was observed with an IC₅₀ value of 170.01 µg/ml in the nitric oxide scavenging assay and 65.75% inhibition in the trypsin inhibition assay. GC–MS analysis identified several bioactive compounds, including trans phytol, methyl palmitate, methyl linoleate, oleic acid, clionasterol, lupenone, and betulol. The results suggest that K. caryophyllata fruits are rich in bioactive phytochemicals and possess significant antioxidant and moderate anti-inflammatory activities, indicating their potential as a natural source of therapeutic agents.