Antioxidant and nutraceutical profiling, and GC-MS characterization of Ficus abutilifolia leaf extracts and essential oil

Medicinal plants contain bioactive compounds useful in managing various health conditions. This study evaluated the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of the ethanolic crude extract and essential oil of Ficus abutilifolia leaves. Leaves were collected from Askira Uba, Borno State, Nigeria, and extracted using ethanol. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, anthraquinones, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids, reducing sugars, amino acids, and terpenoids, while phytosterols were absent. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH and hydrogen peroxide assays at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 µg/mL, with ascorbic acid as the standard. The crude extract showed concentration-dependent scavenging, reaching 58.2 % (DPPH) and 72.7 % (H2O2) at 10 µg/mL. The essential oil also demonstrated dose-dependent activity, with 50.3 % (DPPH) and 72.9 % (H2O2) inhibition at the same concentration. The oil obtained by steam distillation (percentage yield, 0.7 %), was analyzed via GC-MS, identifying 21 compounds, including octadecane (12.42 %), tetratetracontane (10.56 %), tetracosane (10.26 %), 1-iodo-2-methylundecane (8.78 %), heptacosane (8.09 %), heptadecane, 2-methyl (7.5 %), and caryophyllene (7.03 %). These findings indicate that F. abutilifolia possesses strong antioxidant potential, likely due to its diverse phytochemical profile.