Vol 11, Issue 6, 2018 Online - 2455-3891 Print - 0974-2441 GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROSCOPY STUDIES ON ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF DRIED LEAVES OF CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS GAURAV M DOSHI 1 *, BERNADETTE D MATTHEWS 2 , PRATIP K CHASKAR 3 1 Department of Pharmacology, 2 Department of Quaity Assurance, 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vivekanand Education Society’s College of Pharmacy, Mumbai, India. Email: gaurav.pharmacology@gmail.com Received: 17 November 2017, Revised and Accepted: 20 March 2018 ABSTRACT Objective: Phytochemical screening of the ethanolic extract of Catharanthus roseus disclosed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, quinines, flavonoids, and proteins. In the present research work, we have identified and confirmed the structures of the constituents present by means of a hyphenated technique of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) from the extract. Method: Shade-dried leaves of C. roseus were powdered and extracted by means of Soxhlet extraction using ethanol as a solvent. Crude extract obtained was utilized for GC-MS. Results: A total of 15 components were identified, some of which were n-hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, Vitamin E, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid,2- [(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-1-[{(trimethylsilyl)oxy}methyl]ethyl ester, phytol, 3-epivindolinine, and oleic acid. Conclusion: GC-MS studies helped us to assess the phytochemical constituents based on retention time, molecular formula, molecular weight and the corroboration of MS libraries. In future, C. roseus leaves may be subjected to diverse types of extraction methodologies, and a number of various elucidated phytoconstituents can be studied for their ethnopharmacological significance and applicability citing literature. Keywords: Catharanthus roseus, Gas chromatography, Mass spectroscopy, Phytol, 3-Epivindolinine, Oleic acid. INTRODUCTION Discovery of natural plant-derived drugs from natural botanical herbarium has been the major breakthrough in paving the way for natural product chemistry [1]. Natural products are a substantial source of new drugs. They may have various sources or origins such as terrestrial plants, microorganisms, marine organisms, and terrestrial vertebrates, and invertebrates [2,3]. From time immemorial, they play a significant role as phytochemicals in treating and preventing a number of human diseases. Phytochemicals have been derived from the Greek word “phyto” meaning plant. Phytochemicals are biologically active, naturally occurring, non-nutritive chemical compounds found in plants having a protective and disease preventive activity. Plants produce such chemicals to safeguard themselves, but research reveals that they also have the ability to protect humans against diseases [4]. The subject of phytochemistry has been developed in recent years as a strict discipline, closely related to both natural product organic chemistry and plant biochemistry [1]. Plant metabolism has been able to separate phytochemicals in two categories, namely, primary or secondary. Primary constituents include the common sugars, amino acids, proteins, purines and pyrimidines of nucleic acids, and chlorophylls. Secondary constituents are the remaining plant chemicals such as alkaloids, terpenes, flavonoids, lignans, plant steroids, curcumines, saponins, phenolics, flavonoids, and glucosides [4]. In a pharmaceutical landscape, plants with a long history of use in ethnomedicine are considered as a rich source of active phytoconstituents that provide medicinal or health benefits against various ailments and diseases. One such family with extensive traditional use is Apocynaceae family. Catharanthus roseus is one of the most important medicinal plants belonging to this family. C. roseus or Periwinkle (Nayantara or Sadabahar) is an erect bushy perennial herb and evergreen shrub. It grows wildly in the Indian subcontinent in southern Asia and with medicinal importance in Australia, Africa, and Southern Europe. The leaves are long and they are arranged in the opposite pairs. They have oval to oblong shape, broad glossy green hairless with a pale midrib and a short petiole [5]. It has been reported to contain more than 400 types of different alkaloids. Some of the important are vinblastine, vincristine, vindesine, vindeline, tabersonine, ajmalicine, vinceine, vineamine, raubasin, reserpine, catharanthine, etc. [6]. Leaves are used in the treatment of menorrhagia, rheumatism, dyspepsia, indigestion, dysmenorrhea, diabetes, hypertension, menstrual disorders, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antithrombotic, cardioprotective, antihelminthic, hypolipidemic, skin diseases, bleeding diarrhea, and antiviral properties. Currently, herbal research has been mainly focusing on isolation, characterization, identification, and quantification of bioactive constituents and secondary metabolites [7-13]. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is one such sophisticated analytical technique used in identification, detection, and analysis of the constituents. It comprises GC coupled to a MS, by which complex mixtures of plant- related compounds may be separated, identified, and quantified [14]. In the present work, we have identified and confirmed the structures of the active constituents by GC-MS from the ethanolic extract of dried leaves of C. roseus. MATERIALS AND METHOD Collection and authentication • The fresh leaves of C. roseus were collected from Mumbai, Maharashtra, and air-dried at room temperature. • The dried leaves’ sample was authenticated by Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. • The sample was stored in an airtight container at 6°C. Extraction • The leaves of C. roseus were dried in the shade, powdered with a mechanical grinder, and passed through sieve no. 40. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4. 0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2018.v11i6.23704 Research Article