Phytochemical screening, TLC, GC-MS/MS analysis, and in vitro antiinflammatory activity of methanolic extract of Strophanthus wightianus Wall. ex Wight: a preliminary approach

Abstract

Strophanthus wightianus Wall. ex Wight belongs to the family Apocynaceae and is well known for its medicinal properties. The present study was carried out to evaluate the possible bioactive compounds present in the methanolic stem extract of S. wightianus. and find out the in vitro antiinflammatory activity of the plant. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the stem methanolic extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, tannins, glycosides, coumarins, and saponins. The TLC analysis confirms the presence of phytochemicals in the extract. The Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis revealed the presence of 23 compounds in the extract. Some bioactive compounds screened were apiol, methyleugenol, iridomyrmecin, bipyridine, paromomycin, and eicosanoic acid. Compounds were identified by comparing their retention time and peak area with that of available literature and by interpretation of mass spectra. Many of these compounds have various activities like anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, anaesthetic, insect repellent, abortifacient, antinociceptive, antioxidant, antiallergic, and anti-bacterial. Some of the compounds are used as chelating agents, flavoring agents, making Dyes, and non-ionic surfactants. Anti-inflammatory activity was carried out using the COX assay. COX assay showed 51.42 % inhibition at a concentration of 200 μg/mL with an IC50 value of 171.15 μg/mL, this is an indication that the methanolic stem extract of S. wightianus has the potential to be developed as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).