HARUNGANA MADAGASCARIENSIS LAM EX POIR (HYPERICACEAE) FRUITS OIL EXTRACT: PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND ACUTE TOXICITY EVALUATION

This study reports the phytochemistry of the oil obtained from the air-dried non-utilized fruits of H. madagascariensis a plant widely used in folklore medicine. The H. madagascariensis fruits oil (HMO) was obtained by de-fatting the chloroform extract of the air-dried fruits with n-hexane. The n-hexane extract further separated on a normal phase silica column to afford the HMO. The acute toxicity test was done on mice using the Lorke’s method. Selected physico-chemical properties (specific gravity, refractive index, pH, viscosity and saponification value) were evaluated using standard procedures. Characterization of the fatty acids constituents was done using Gas Chromatography-Mass (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. The HMO (reddish oil) had LD₅₀ > 5000 mg/kg; specific gravity = 0.918; refractive index = 1.472; pH: 6.4, Viscosity: 2.252, Saponification value (mg KOH/g): 140.5. GC-MS characterization of the HMO afforded eight fatty acids derivatives (47.93% unsaturated fatty acid and 14.82% saturated fatty acids of the total peak area): palmitic acid methyl ester (7.00%), palmitic acid (2.61%), linoleyl alcohol (1.22%), linoleic acid methyl ester (26.87%), stearic acid methyl ester (4.09%), linoleic acid (12.72%), linoleic acid ethyl ester (7.12%) and behenic acid methyl ester (1.12%). FTIR spectrum showed vibrational frequencies for: OH, C=C, C=O and C-O functional groups. Aside reporting for the first time the phytochemistry of the fruit oil of H. madagascariensis, the presence of the unsaturated fatty acids, the promising LD₅₀ and physico-chemical properties imply application of the HMO in nutraceutics and cosmetology.