PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN CALANTHE TRICARINATA LINDL. PSEUDOBULBS EXTRACT (ORCHIDACEAE) BY GCMS METHOD

During the present study, an attempt was made to screen for bioactive phytocompounds present in methanolic extracts of Calanthe tricarinata Lindl. pseudobulbs using highly sophisticated biological and chemical characterization technique– Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The pseudobulbs were collected from Kufri hills (latitude: 31.097858οN, longitude: 77.267815οE), Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (India). The GC-MS chromatogram revealed 69 bioactive compounds with the following as the most abundant, 4H-pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl- (7.10%), Acetic acid, 1-(2-methyltetrazol-5-yl) ethenyl ester (6.76%), 3-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (5.31%), 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-methyl ester (5.09%). These phytocompounds and many others present in the extract have been reported to possess multiple therapeutic activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiinflammatory. The present investigation therefore explains the use of C. tricarinata pseudobulbs in ancient medicine to treat wounds and eczema and further implies that it could be exploited for the formulation of therapeutic molecules. This present study is the first report made by GCMS analysis for the presence of bioactive components of phytopharmceutical importance.