Ethanolic extraction and GC-MS analysis of antioxidant and anticancer bioactive compounds from and .

Bioactive components used to treat human ailments are abundant in medicinal plants. and have therapeutic properties due to the presence of many phytonutrients. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to evaluate the properties of the antioxidant and anticancer bioactive components found in the ethanolic extracts of and leaves. The major constituents identified in the leaf extracts were octadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid, 15-methyl-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, ethyl ester, hexadecanoic acid, neophytadiene, pentadecane, hexadecane, and 1-octadecanol. Some of these components have antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Among the identified compounds, octadecanoic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid are pivotal for their anticancer and antioxidant effects. The GC-MS characterisation indicated the existence of abundant bioactive compounds, confirming their potential therapeutic activities. This study showed that the leaves of and could be used as novel sources of antioxidants and anticancer medicines.