ANALYSIS OF N-BUTANOL FLOWER EXTRACT OF CASSIA FISTULA THROUGH GC-MS AND IDENTIFICATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDS

Abstract

This study was carried out to identify antimicrobial phytoconstituents present in n-butanol soluble part of methanolic flower extract of Cassia fistula L. The flowers were dipped in methanol for two weeks, filtered and the solvent was evaporated on a rotary evaporator. The n-butanol fraction was separated in a separating funnel and analyzed by GC-MS. There were 18 phytoconstituents in this fraction. The most abundant compound was 1H-indene, octahydro-, cis- with 35.13% peak area followed by cyclohexene, 1-butyl- (21.88%) and cyclohexane, butyl- (12.87%). Other compounds included 9-heptadecanol(3.70%), behenic alcohol (1.63%), decane, 3-methyl- (2.90%), cyclohexane, 1-methyl-3-(1-methylethenyl)-, cis- (1.25%), 3-hexanol, 5-methyl- (1.67%), acetaldehyde isopentyl propyl acetal (1.69%), undecane (2.12%), 1,3-dioxane, 2-ethyl-5-methyl- (1.13%), acetaldehyde butyl pentyl acetal (3.04%), acetaldehyde dipentyl acetal (3.24%), cycloheptasiloxane, tetradecamethyl- (1.11%), Cyclooctasiloxane, hexadecamethyl- (1.77%), cyclononasiloxane, octadecamethyl- (1.48%), n-hexadecanoic acid (2.01%), and tetracosamethyl-cyclododecasiloxane (1.46%). A thorough literature survey showed that n-hexadecanoic acid; cyclohexane, butyl-; cyclooctasiloxane, hexadecamethyl-; cyclononasiloxane, octadecamethyl- and behenic alcohol in n-butanol fraction possess antifungal, antibacterial and/or antiviral properties.