Phytochemical Profiling of Aqueous, Methanol and Hexane Leaf Extracts of Jatropha curcas using Chromatographic and Spectral Fingerprintings

Jatropha curcas leaves have been reported to possess various applications to industries, humans and animals with their attendant side effects. There's a need for thorough phytochemical analysis and screening of plants like Jatropha curcas to ensure safe and informed use. In this study, phytochemical profilings of aqueous, methanol and hexane leaf extracts of Jatropha curcas using chromatographic and spectral finger-printings were investigated. The quantitative phytochemical analysis was performed using gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GC - FID) and Fourier transformed infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) to identify bioactive compounds and their functional groups, respectively. The quantities of bioactive compounds obtained in the aqueous, methanol and hexane leaf extracts of J. curcas using GC-FID were 20, 20 and 22, respectively. The FTIR analysis of Jatropha curcas revealed the presence of functional groups such as hydroxyl group-alcohol and phenol, amines (primary and secondary), aliphatic compounds (alkane, alkene, alkyne), carbonyl groups (ester, carboxylic acid, aldehyde, α, β - unsaturated ketone), carbodiimide, isothiocyanate, azide, thiol, halo compounds, sulphones and aromatic compounds. The results obtained revealed that the aqueous, methanol and hexane leaf extracts of Jatropha curcas are promising sources of valuable bioactive compounds and phytochemicals that could be utilized, potentially through chemical modifications, for pharmaceutical applications.