FATTY ACIDS AND ESTERS

Sphenocentrum jollyanum Pierre is a medicinal plant widely used across West Africa for the treatment of various ailments, yet the chemical constituents responsible for many of its reported therapeutic effects remain underexplored in scientific literature. This study aimed to identify the major fatty acids and ester compounds present in the aqueous stem extract of S. jollyanum using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), with the goal of contributing to phytochemical profiling and supporting the plant’s ethnomedicinal applications. Fresh stems were cleaned, air-dried, pulverized, and extracted by cold maceration. The resulting filtrates were freeze-dried and the crude aqueous extract was subjected to GC-MS analysis under optimized chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions. The GC-MS scan revealed a spectrum of bioactive constituents including compounds known for antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic regulatory activities. This study provides scientific support for the medicinal uses of S. jollyanum and establish a biochemical basis for its reported bioactivities. It further highlights the importance of GC-MS as a robust analytical tool for identifying volatile and semi-volatile compounds in medicinal plant extracts. Overall, the results strengthen the pharmacognostic understanding of S. jollyanum and lay groundwork for future studies on its biological mechanisms, safety, and potential drug development applications.