Phytochemical extraction and analysis of phenolic compounds and alkaloids from selected Medicago species (Fabaceae) in Central and Northern Iraq

Medicago yields several food and medicinal values due to the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, saponins, lignin, phenolic compounds, tannins, alkaloids, carotenoids, sterols, phytoestrogens, flavones and isoflavonoids. Because of the Medicago plant’s rich and beneficial chemical components and its various benefits, this study was conducted to extract phenolic and alkaloid compounds from the plant in central and southern regions of Iraq. A total of nine species of the genus Medicago (Fabaceae) from central and northern Iraq were concluded from this study: M. polymorpha, M. monspeliaca, M. lupulina, M. rigidula, M. radiata, M. noeana Boiss, M. orbicularis, M. sativa and M. monantha. Extraction was performed by a 72 hr maceration with ethyl acetate (10 g/10 mL) and resulted extracts were filtered, concentrated in vacuum and prepared for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The investigated compounds included rutin, gallic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, caffeine and ergotin, and the species showed different endogenous accumulation levels. R-Rutin was found at the highest concentration compared to the other phenolic compounds, in the following sequence: M. sativa with a concentration of 598.863 ppm, M. radiata with 272.2776 ppm, M. lupulina with 235.089 ppm, followed by M. orbicularis at 177.148 ppm, then M. polymorpha at 172.969 ppm, M. monspeliaca at 169.786 ppm, M. noeana Boiss at 136.3892 ppm, then M. rigidula at 129.6292 ppm and finally M. monantha at 122.2005 ppm. Despite this, the phenolic compound Quercetin was observed in the M. radiata species at a high concentration of 343.7141 ppm, while it did not appear in any of the other plants this suggests perhaps both chemical diversity and potential utility in providing therapeutically useful compounds from these species. This study found that nine plant samples from different locations of Iraq have identical phenolic and alkaloid contents, indicating that they belong to the same genus. Rutin is found in all plant species in high amounts relative to other phenolic and flavonoid chemicals, indicating that they are from the same genus.