ABSTRACT

There is scientific evidence that plants and their extracts contain bioactive substances that have therapeutic properties. Azanza garckeana is a plant with reported medicinal properties and can be found in various African countries. This study was aimed at comparing the bioactive compounds present in the dichloromethane (DCM) seeds and roots extracts of Azanza garckeana using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The seeds and roots of the Azanza garckeana were collected from Tula in Kaltungo, Gombe State. The seeds were separated from the fruits, air-dried, and pulverized alongside the roots. The pulverized samples were used to obtain DCM extracts, and subjected to GC-MS analysis. The total ion chromatogram (TIC) of the seed and roots revealed the presence of 17 and 14 bioactive compounds in the seeds and roots.  The compound (Z)-3-(pentadec-8-en-1-yl) phenol was found to be the highest in the DCM seed extract of Azanza garckeana with 69.79 % in content, while Bicyclo [3.1.0] hex-3-en-2-one, 4-methyl-1-(1-methyl ethyl) was the highest in the DCM root extract of Azanza garckeana with 75.56 % as Area% and 18.33 as retention time. Pentasiloxane was the least with 0.35 % as Area% in the seed while tridecyl phenol was the least with 0.50 % as Area% in the root. A total of 5 bioactive compounds with known biological activities such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antifungal, were identified in the seed extract. They include Pentadecanoic acid, 14-methyl-methyl ester, 9-octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester, and 3-Methyl-1-adamantyl isothiocyanate with Area % of 0.61%, 1.45%, and 1.32% respectively, while the roots had 4 with reported biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory. The compounds include hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (0.55%) and 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid (1.48%). Common compounds identified in both the seeds and root extract includes: 9-Octadecenoic acid methyl ester and its Area% for seed is 1.45% while that of root is 1.45%, Methyl stearate which has 0.64% as Area% for seed while that of root is 0.64%, 3 Tridecylphenol has an Area% of 0.4% for seed and 0.50% for root, P-cresol (Methyl phenol) has an Area% of 0.86% for seed and 0.54% for root. The seed extract contained a larger amount of bioactive compound in content with reported biological activity compared to the root extract.