Received: 14 th August-2012 Revised: 18 th August-2012 Accepted: 20 th August-2012 Research article GC-MS ANALYSIS OF BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF HEDYOTIS LESCHENAULTIANA DC (RUBIACEAE) Kulandai Therese, N., Tresina, P.S. and Mohan, V.R.* Ethnopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Botany, V.O.Chidambaram College, Tuticorin- 628008, Tamil Nadu, India * Corresponding author E Mail: vrmohan_2005@yahoo.com ABSTRACT: The present investigation was carried out to determine the possible bioactive components of whole plant of Hedyotis leschenaultiana using GC-MS analysis. Fourteen components from the whole plant of the above said plant were identified. The prevailing compounds in the ethanol extract were 9-Octadecenoic acid (z)-, Methyl ester (22.57%), β-Sitosterol (17.65%), 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecenl-o1 (12.29%), Phytol (8.61%), Oxirane, (butoxymethyl)- (8.04%), Squalene (6.48%), 1,6 Anhydro- á – D- glucopyranose (levoglycosan) (5.03%), 9-12-Octadecadienoic acid (z,z)- (4.47%), Eicosane (3.35%), 1-Eicosanol (3.35%) and Diazoprogesterone (2.91%). This is the first report of identification of active constituents from the whole plant of Hedyotis leschenaultiana. This work will help to identify the compounds of therapeutic value. Keywords: Hedyotis leschenaultiana, GC-MS, β-Sitosterol, Squalene. INTRODUCTION Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. Plants produce these chemicals to protect it, but recent research demonstrates that, many phytochemicals can protect human against diseases. There are many phytochemicals in medicinal plant and each works differently. Plant and plant products are being used as a source of medicine since long (Kishorkumar et al., 2011). According to World Health Organisation (WHO) more than 80% of the world’s population mostly in developing countries depend on traditional plant based medicines for their primary healthcare needs. India has about 45,000 plant species and among them many have been claimed to possess medicinal properties. The need for scientific validation of these useful medicinal plants is very essential. There is a growing awareness in correlating the phytochemical constituents of a medicinal plant with its pharmacological activity (Murugan et al., 2012; Kala et al., 2012). Screening active compounds from plants has lead to the invention of new medicinal drugs which have efficient protection and treatment roles against various diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s diseases (Sheeja and Kuttan, 2007; Mukherjee et al., 2007). The genus Hedyotis finds a prominent place in different Indian systems of medicine. The different ethnic communities in India have used different species of Hedyotis in the treatment of various ailments (Sasikumar et al., 2010). Taking into consideration of the medicinal importance of Hedyotis, the ethanol extract of whole plant of Hedyotis leschenaultiana DC were analyzed for the first time using GC-MS. This work will help to identify the compounds of therapeutic value. MATERIALS AND METHODS PLANT MATERIAL The whole plant of Hedyotis leschenaultiana DC was collected from Kothagiri, Nilagiri Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. The plant were identified with the help of local flora, voucher specimen were preserved in the Ethnopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Botany, V.O.Chidambaram College, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. International Journal of Applied Biology and Pharmaceutical Technology Page: 159 Available online at www.ijabpt.com