Ethnopharmacological evidence and exploration of the phytochemical profile by GC-MS of bioactive compounds extracted from Sterculia setigera

Sterculia setigera is a plant used in traditional medicine to fight respiratory diseases. In phytotherapeutic care, optimization of bioactive compound extraction is a necessity for greater efficacy. This study aimed to determine an optimal procedure for obtaining bioactive compounds through fractionation of the extracts, with tests to assess their anti-microbial and anti-oxidant potential. Extraction factors included solvent systems (distilled water, ethanol, hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate) and methods (decoction, maceration). The two most active extracts, after evaluation of antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity, were then subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to obtain a phytochemical profile. Extraction by ethanolic maceration gave the highest yield of polyphenol compounds (97.20± 0.26 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram extract). Also for the antioxidant test, ethanolic macerate showed the best activity across the three methods used. The ethanolic extract and ethyl acetate fraction showed a strong inhibitory effect against bacteria with better activity coefficients obtained on Micrococcus luteus (0.188 cm 2 /µl and 0.132 cm 2 /µl). The GC-MS phytochemical profile revealed the presence of biomolecules, the main ones of which are Junipene, propylformic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid and 1-octyne. These results demonstrate the richness of S. setigera trunk bark in bioactive compounds. • Sterculia setigera is a potential source of medication for respiratory deseases. • Maceration with ethanol is the best process for obtaining bioactive phytocompounds. • Sterculia setigera contains molecules with antibacterial and antioxidant potential. • GC–MS analysis was used for the identification of bioactive molecules.