GC-MS PROFILE OF HEXANE FRACTION OF THE LEAVES OF Lonchocarpus cyanescens

Lonchocarpus cyanescens (Elu), a plant widely employed in traditional medicine to manage infections, inflammation, and mental disorders, remains underexplored in terms of its non-polar chemical constituents. In this study, Leaves of Lonchocarpus cyanescens were collected, processed and extracted with ethanol, after which their non-polar constituents were isolated using n-hexane. Analysis of this fraction by GC– MS enabled the identification of several lipophilic metabolites using the NIST14 spectral library, with match qualities ≥90%. Nineteen compounds were detected, predominantly aromatic hydrocarbons, monoterpenes, fatty acid methyl esters, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and glycerides. The most abundant compounds were 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (33.50%), 1-ethyl-2- methylbenzene (6.63%), o-cymene (6.42%), and 1,3-dioctanoin (6.23%). These constituents are known for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and membrane-active properties, suggesting that the hexane fraction may contribute to the plant’s reported ethnomedicinal effects. The prevalence of volatile and lipophilic compounds also underscores the effectiveness of hexane in selectively extracting nonpolar metabolites. This study provides a detailed GC–MS profile of the n-hexane fraction of L. cyanescens, thereby expanding existing phytochemical knowledge and laying a foundation for
future isolation, characterization, and pharmacological investigations