Separation of major bioactive components by GC-MS and antioxidant studies on Solanum nigrum extract

Traditional medicine involves the use of different bioactive constituents present in medicinal plants. Hence Solanum nigrum, was investigated for its activity against the common pathogens. Methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether and acetone extracts of Solanum nigrum were prepared to determine the antibacterial activity against the chosen pathogen while compared to standard antibiotics. The present study was carried out on ethanolic extract of Solanum nigrum leaves analyzed for phytochemical, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The various phytochemical constituents like alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols and saponins were revealed in selected plant extracts by TLC. The antioxidant activity of the plant was analyzed using Fenton's reagent free radical scavenging studies and DPPH antioxidant activity measured colorimetrically. The preliminary phytochemical investigation revealed the presence of saponins, glycosides, tannins, alkaloids and flavonoids. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities were expressed at varying concentration of doses. GC-MS study revealed the presence of phytocomponents such as ethoxy acetylene, n-hexa decanoic acid, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, (Z, Z, Z), 3-cyclohexene-1-methano, β-sitosterol, 2(1H) naphthalenone, 3,5,6,7,8,8a-hexahydro-4,8a-dimethyl-6-(1-methylethenyl), α-amyrin, lup-20(29)-en-3-one. The mass spectra of these compounds matched with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Library, which reveals the presence of bioactive components in Solanum nigrum suggesting the contribution of these compounds on the pharmacological activity.