Comparative metabolite profiling of Rhaphidophora decursiva leaf extracts using LC–MS and GC–MS

Rhaphidophora decursiva, an ethnomedicinal Araceae species with limited phytochemical characterisation, was investigated to define its solvent-dependent metabolite profile. Three solvent-derived analytical fractions/extracts were examined: an n-hexane fraction (RDH), a methanolic extract (RDM), and a 20% hydromethanolic extract (RDHM). These were comparatively characterised using complementary, solvent-matched mass-spectrometric platforms. Preliminary phytochemical assessment by two-dimensional paper chromatography and acid hydrolysis indicated a chemically diverse matrix, including glycosidically bound constituents. LC–MS profiling of the methanolic and hydromethanolic extracts tentatively annotated fourteen polar/semi-polar metabolites, dominated by phenolic acids, flavonoid derivatives, phenolic glycosides, and related polyphenols. GC–MS profiling of the n-hexane fraction yielded nine plant-associated non-polar constituents, including hydrocarbons, aromatic oxygenated compounds, fatty-acid derivatives, esters, and lipid-associated metabolites; an additional dibutyl phthalate signal was classified as a probable exogenous contaminant and excluded from the phytochemical inventory. The results demonstrate clear solvent-driven partitioning between polar/glycosidic and lipophilic fractions. This solvent-resolved LC–MS/GC–MS profile of R. decursiva leaves establishes a chemical inventory for dereplication, targeted isolation, structural confirmation, chemotaxonomic comparison, and future bioactivity-guided investigation.