PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF LEAVES OF XYLOSMA LONGIFOLIA CLOS.: A PLANT OF ETHNOMEDICINAL IMPORTANCE

The present study deals with the phytochemical study of leaves of Xylosma longifolia Clos. It belongs to the family Flacourtiaceae and is commonly known as 'Long leaved xylosma', whereas the plant is locally known as 'Kataponial' in Assam. Xylosma longifolia is an important ethnomedicinal plant used in the North-eastern region of India. The aim of the study is to investigate the bioactive compounds present and to evaluate the significance of the therapeutic and pharmacological uses of the phytoconstituents. All the standard phytochemical and spectroscopic procedures were followed for the detection and estimation of the phytoconstituents. The leaves of Xylosma longifolia were collected for the preparation of 95% methanol extract. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the methanol extract of Xylosma longifolia reveals the occurrence of several secondary metabolites like alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, terpenoids and saponins. The quantitative phytochemical analysis exhibited the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and phenols in considerable quantity. The presence of O-H stretch, C-O stretch, C-H stretch, C-H bend, C=C stretch, N-H stretch and C=O stretch were confirmed through FT-IR analysis. Several major and minor bioactive compounds were identified through GC-MS analysis. From this study, it can be concluded that the ethnomedicinal plant Xylosma longifolia contains various bioactive compounds. Further phytochemical and pharmacological studies are an urgent need for the isolation and discovery of some novel drugs to cure several disorders.