Investigating the Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Different Solvent Extracts of Sesamum prostratum Retz.

Numerous bioactive chemicals with a range of advantageous effects on human metabolism can be found in medicinal plants. The knowledge of these phytochemicals is essential for the identification of potential medicines. In the present study, Sesamum prostratum was selected for GC-MS profiling and antioxidant studies. Plant extracts were prepared with ethanol, ethyl acetate, and acetone by using the continuous hot Soxhlet extraction method. The chemical compositions were analyzed by GC/MS. In addition, antioxidant activity was measured using ABTS, DPPH, and hydrogen peroxide assay. The GC-MS analysis of the different solvent extracts showed a total of 32 compounds present in S. prostratum. Ethanol extracts showed 11 compounds, ethyl acetate extracts showed 8 compounds, and acetone extracts showed the presence of 13 compounds. Different dominant chemicals were identified in each solvent extract by the phytochemical study. The chemical composition of the extracts revealed notable differences. The ethanol extract was dominated by 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, which comprised 51.4% of the total composition. In contrast, the acetone extract had 3-ethyl-4-methylhexane as its primary component, while the ethyl acetate extract was characterized by the presence of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid as its major chemical constituent. The different assay on free radical scavenging activity of the extracts showed antioxidant activity. The acetone extracts showed the least IC50 value of 35.13 &mu:g/mL for the hydrogen peroxide test, the ethyl acetate showed IC50 value 65.49 &mu:g/mL in the ABTS assay, and the ethanol extract showed the lowest IC50 value of 80.84 &mu:g/mL in the DPPH assay. The results indicated that the plant has bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential that can be further investigated for anticancer and other medicinal uses.