The GC-MS analysis and cytotoxic effect of Ricinus communis L. extracts using brine shrimps lethality test

Medicinal plants have always played a vital role in human life. The aims of this study are to screen cytotoxic effect of Ricinuc communis L. seeds and leaves extracts using brine shrimps lethality test, and to perform a composition analysis using gas chromatography mass spectrometery (GC-MS). Soxhlet extraction of Ricinuc communis L. seeds and leaves was carried out using petroleum ether chloroform and methanol. Methanol extract of leaves has been subjected to fractionation using column chromatography and the first eluded fraction was also subjected to lethality test and GC-MS analysis. The results show that the Ricinus communis L. seeds are more toxic than the leaves that is demonstrated with lowest lethal dose (LD50) of petroleum ether extract of seeds (LD50 is 100 μg \ ml). The leaves chloroform extract is more toxic (LD50 is 206.608 μg\ml) than the methanol (LD50 is 341.861 μg\ml) and petroleum ether (LD50 is 397.163 μg\ml). The column chromatography methanol fraction had weak toxicity (LD50 is 634.682 μg\ml). GC-MS of Ricinus communis L. leaves methanol extract shows that the leaves contain alkaloids, hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters, and fatty acids, the most predominant compounds are n-Hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid) with the highest peak area (peak area is 22.02%) followed by (1,2-dihydro-4-methoxy-1-methyl-2-oxo,3-Pyridinecarbonitrile) (peak area is 17.41%) and gamonelic acid(Gamma- linolenic acid) (peak area is10%).The GC-MS analysis of column chromatography of methanolic fraction shows the predominance of pentadecanoic acid 14 methy, methyl ester (peak area is 30.68%), methyl linolenate (peak area is 24.34%) and hexadecanoic acid (peak area is 21.45%). The GC-MS results of chloroform extract of Ricinus communis L. seeds shows that ricinoleic acid is predominant in the extract (peak area is 20.8%, followed by 9-Tricosene (peak area is 8.77%).