CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND SAFETY EVALUATION OF STEM BARK EXTRACTS FROM IRVINGIA GABONENSIS

Phytochemical investigations of medicinal plants have emerged as pivotal in identifying natural compounds with therapeutic potential. Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) Baill., a member of the Irvingiaceae family, is traditionally used in West African ethnomedicine for its wide-ranging health benefits. This study aimed to analyze the phytochemical constituents and assess the acute oral toxicity of I. gabonensis stem bark, thereby contributing to the pharmacognostic and toxicological profiling of the species. Plant materials (leaves, fruits, stem bark, and roots) were harvested from Iragbiji, Osun State, Nigeria, and identified with voucher authentication. The stem bark was air-dried, pulverized, and sequentially extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol via maceration. Qualitative screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, steroids, and glycosides, suggesting rich bioactive potential. Quantitative analysis indicated that the ethyl acetate extract contained the highest total phenolic (122 mg/mL) and flavonoid (73.42 mg/mL) content, while methanol extracts showed 79.47 mg/mL and 36.61 mg/mL for phenolic and flavonoid content, respectively. Acute toxicity studies conducted in vivo with Wistar rats showed no signs of toxicity at a limit dose of 5000 mg/kg, indicating a favorable safety margin. These findings affirm the medicinal value of I. gabonensis stem bark and provide foundational data for future pharmacological and clinical investigations