Abstract
Aglaomorpha quercifolia (L.) Hovenkamp & S. Linds is an extensively used species in traditional medicinal systems in several areas of the world due to some important medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory activities. In East Timor, different parts of this fern are used either as remedies or as food. The ingestion of a broth made from its rhizome improves lactation, and young fronds of this fern are boiled and eaten with rice by the locals. Nevertheless, its chemical profile is far from being established. The present work aims to establish the chemical profile of both rhizomes and leaves n-hexane extracts by Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed the leaves richness in fatty acids with interesting nutritional values (ω−6/ω−3 = 0.68, AI = 0.59, TI = 0.30), being linolenic acid (253.71 ± 0.93 mg/g dry leaves) and palmitic acid (237.27 ± 0.59 mg/g dry leaves) the significant compounds in the extract. Whereas the rhizome extract is mostly rich in terpenoids, such as steroid, cycloartane, and hopanoid derivatives, being hop-16-ene (166.45 ± 0.53 mg/g dry rhizome) and β-sitosterol (50.76 ± 0.11 mg/g dry rhizome) the major compounds. Several compounds are reported for the first time in the species, and the data herein reported contributes to confirming the species nutritional value.
Highlights
The known use of A. quercifolia in traditional medicine [12,13] and a few studies involving Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis were reported [23,24,25], this species still is, from the chemical profile point of view, underexplored. Both rhizome and leaves were extracted with n-hexane at room temperature, aiming to obtain the lipophilic profile
This type of extraction was not reported for this species, our experience indicates that low extraction yields, such as the ones reported (Table 3), are typical in plants growing in warm environments [32]
It was possible the identification and quantification, using GC-MS, of the major compounds present in both rhizome and leaves extracts, whose chromatograms demonstrate the richness in lipophilic compounds, some only in traces (Figure 1)
Summary
(Hooker)] [1] is an epiphytic, occasionally epilithic medicinal pteridophyte with a short-creeping rhizome, dimorphic fronds, and pinnatifid lamina. It belongs to the Polypodiaceae family, which includes 65 genus and 165 species worldwide [2]. The juice produced from the rhizome and fronds is taken for body pain [4] and intestinal worms [5]. This fern is used to treat throat infections, tuberculosis [6], jaundice, dysentery, and typhoid fever [7]. In Bangladesh, several parts of this fern have been used to treat jaundice [8], gonorrhea [9], diabetes [10], and malaria [11]
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