Extraction and Identification of Phytochemicals in N-hexane and Methanol Extracts of Cocos Nucifera L. Leaves

Abstract

The Cocos nucifera L. (Coconut palm) of Arecaceae family is found mainly in coastal areas. The extraction and analysis of various parts of plants reveal its application in natural medicine. In the present investigation, the preliminary phyto-chemical screening of Cocos nucifera L. leaves of Veraval region was performed using n-hexane and methanol solvents, which showed the presence of secondary metabolites like, phenols, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids, phenols, etc. GC-MS (Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry) analysis was done and Mass spectra of these compounds were matched with NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) library and were identified by comparing the peak area and retention time with literature and the interpretation was done. This shows presence of 11 bioactive compounds in n-hexane extract including mainly Squalene, Hexadecanoic acid, Moretenol, alpha-Tocopherol, Hexadecamethyl heptasiloxane, Eicosamethyl cyclodecasiloxane and others while the methanolic extract showed 9 bioconstituents like Squalene, Neophytadiene, Trans Phytol, A’-Neogammacer-22(29)-en-3-one and others. These bioconstituents show various biological activities like Antitumor, Antioxidant, Hypocholesterolmic, Immunostimulant, Antimycobacterial, Antiprotozoal, Anti-inflammatory,Antidepressant, Anti-inflammatory, Hypocholesterolemic, Nematicide, Pesticide, Lubricant,Neuroprotective activities and others. Thus further studies and isolation of these compounds may benefit in pharmaceutical and medical fileds