Phytochemical Analysis and Profiling of Possible Compounds from Simarouba glauca Leaf Extracts

Simarouba glauca is one of the important medicinal plants used in the treatment of many diseases by traditional healers. In particular, it has medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antimalarial, skin-moisturizing and antidiabetic potential. Despite having potential medicinal value, the detailed analysis of its phytoconstituents and the systematic evaluation of its biological activities is lacking. Thus, the present study is aimed at the estimation and profiling of bioactive compounds from S. glauca leaves extracts using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and High-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HR-LCMS). The quantitative analysis demonstrated that ethanol was the most effective solvent, extracting significant concentrations of alkaloids (94.17 mg/g), flavonoids (82.36 mg/g), phenols (49.75 mg/g) and saponins (133.21 mg/g). In contrast, aqueous and ethyl acetate extracts exhibited lower concentrations of these phytochemical compounds. HR-LCMS analysis revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds in the ethanolic extract, including kaempferol, quercetin-3β-D glucoside and gallic acid, all known for their antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. The aqueous extract additionally contained catechin and chlorogenic acid, while azelaic acid was identified in the ethyl acetate extract. These findings suggest that ethanol and water extracts of S. glauca leaves contain a rich array of bioactive ingredients. Future research should be carried out to isolate these compounds and explore their pharmacokinetics and toxicity profiles to develop effective pharmaceutical products.