Determination of bioactive compounds in methanol leaf extract of Hyptis lanceolata Poir. using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique

Abstract

Hyptis lanceolata Poir. is a medicinal plant wildly distributed in parts of Nigeria. The plant is used in traditional medicine for the cure of skin infections and as an analgesic in Nigeria. The plant is underutilized and documentation of its chemical composition is poor. The leaves of the plant were subjected to sohxlet extraction using methanol as solvent. The extracts were further subjected to Gas Chomatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the presence of bioactive compounds. GC-MS analysis of the methanolic extract of the plant showed the presence of eight compounds. The major compounds include α-Linolenic acid (45.86%), dihomo ƴ-linolenic acid (30.50%), squalene (8.27%) and Imidodicarbonimidic diamide, N,N-dimethyl- (6.61%). Previous studies have shown these compounds to be efficient in the treatment of several ailments, hence the presence of these compounds support the use of this plant in traditional medicinal. It is recommended that the methanol extract of the plant be subjected to further pharmacological and phytochemical studies in order to achieve the full potentials of the plant.