Pharmacological Benefits of Qualitative and Quantitative Phytochemical Screening of Spondias mombin and Thaumatococcus daniellii Leaf Extracts

Abstract

The pharmacological benefits of phytochemicals from medicinal plants such as Spondias mombin and Thaumatococcus daniellii in pharmaceutical industries cannot be over-stressed especially as the search for new phytochemicals continues to combat the menace of antibiotics resistance and to have alternatives to very expensive synthetic antibiotics currently available in the market. A modified maceration method using acetone, chloroform and ethanol was used for the extraction of S. mombin and T. danielli leaves while both qualitative and quantitative screening of the phytochemicals were achieved using standard procedures. Phytochemicals such as saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, steroids and tannins were present in the crude extracts of S. mombin and T. danielli leaves. Saponins from ethanol extract of T. daniellii had the highest (45.00%). Cardiac glycosides were uniformly present at comparable levels with slight variations (8.29-8.45%) whereas flavonoids and tannins from chloroform extract of S. mombin and acetone and chloroform extracts from T. daniellii had 0.00% respectively. The presence of phytochemicals such as saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and steroids with their therapeutic potential, especially in the management of oxidative stress, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases and microbial infections are of tremendous benefits to pharmaceutical industries while saponins are also known for their anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering and immune-boosting properties. The consistent presence of cardiac glycosides in both S. mombin and T. daniellii suggest that they may have cardiotonic properties. Hence, there is a need for researchers to be motivated and encouraged to search for more and new phytochemicals. 

Keywords: Qualitative and Quantitative, Phytochemical screening, Spondias mombin, Thaumatococcus daniellii, Pharmacological benefits