~ 451 ~    Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2017; 6(6): 451-454 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2017; 6(6): 451-454 Received: 22-09-2017 Accepted: 24-10-2017 Okwute SK Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Abuja, F.C.T., Abuja, PMB, Abuja, Nigeria Ochi IO Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Abuja, F.C.T., Abuja, PMB, Abuja, Nigeria Correspondence Okwute SK Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Abuja, F.C.T., Abuja, PMB, Abuja, Nigeria Phytochemical analysis and cytotoxic activity of the root extract of Commiphora africana (Caesalpiniaceae) Okwute SK and Ochi IO Abstract Commiphora africana is traditionally used for the treatment of several ailments because of its pharmacological activities. The dried roots were extracted with 95% ethanol to obtain a crude extract which was investigated for its phytochemicals and acute oral toxicity. The qualitative phytochemical investigation of the crude extract demonstrated the presence of several secondary metabolites which included saponins, tannins, reducing sugars, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, triterpenoids, alkaloids and carbohydrates. The crude extract was also screened in-vivo for cytotoxicity using mice and it exhibited low toxicity in the assay. There were no records of mortality even at the highest concentration of 5000 mg/kg. The presence of the phytochemicals in the crude ethanolic extract provides the scientific evidence for the efficacy of Commiphora africana root in traditional medicinal applications. Keywords: Commiphora africana root, phytochemicals, acute oral toxicity, mortality 1. Introduction Natural products, particularly from plants, have played a vital role in the discovery of drugs. Some of these drugs are completely derived from natural products, while some natural products serve as leads for novel drugs development (Cowan, 1999) [6] . One of the most important roles herbal medicines play in modern drug development is the identification of plants with useful therapeutic compounds (Mendonca-Filho, 2006) [19] . This field of science provides us with the opportunity to explore the activities phytochemicals have, identify the bioactive components, estimate the appropriate dosages, as well as describe the best methods of extraction and conservation of the compounds. Up to now, only a few methods have been developed to identify the potential plants for drug development. Commiphora a The 95% ethanolic crude extract of C. africana showed low toxicity against mice of different body weights at various concentrations in the assay. This agrees with the general experimental observation that Commiphora species are commonly toxicologically harmless plants with the exception of five species, namely C. erlangeriana, C. staphyleifolia, C. unilobata, C. guidotti and C. boiviniana (Neuwinger, 1996) [20] which are not covered in this assay. From the experimental results, they were no records of mortality even at the highest concentration of 5000 mg/kg. However, a prominent clinical sign (drowsiness) was observed in the second phase of the assay which increased with increase in concentration from 1200 to 5000 mg/kg. From the result of the clinical signs observed, there was the possibility of mortality at concentrations far higher than 5000 mg/kg. Since the LD50 concentration values would therefore be greater than 5000 mg/kg, they will be of no practical interest. It is important to note that the failure of the plant extract to demonstrate acute in vivo cytotoxicity during the general screening process does not necessarily imply a total absence of inherent medicinal value. The possible presence of antagonistic interactions between the different plant constituents in crude preparations may be responsible for the poor toxicity of the crude. There may be high cytotoxic activities exhibited by the different components of the crude extract such as the triterpenoids which have been reported previously by some workers as constituents of the root (Okwute et al., 1989) [22] . Commiphora africana, popularly known as African myrrh, is a small deciduous tree belonging to the family Burseraceae (=Caesalpiniaceae). It is widely used in many parts of northern Nigeria as an incensing, insecticidal and antiseptic fumigant and commonly found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia and Niger, among many other countries (Dalziel, 1937) [7] . The different parts of this plant are used to treat a wide range of ailments. Its edible fruits are chewed for the treatment of typhoid fever, stomach problems, tooth-ache and as an astringent drug for bleeding gum. The bark is used to manage malaria and when chewed together with the plant species