Rapid Identification of Fatty Acids from Leptadenia reticulata Areal Parts by GC-MS

The investigation was carried out to identify the various fatty acids present in the areal parts of Leptadenia reticulata , one of the important medicinal plants of India. Non-polar (Petroleum Ether) extract of areal parts was used for this study. Saponification was carried out using dried extract to obtain fatty acids. Further esterification of saponifiable fraction was performed to obtain fatty acid methyl ester. Extracted fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique using NIST library. From GC-MS analysis, 14 components were identified in areal parts of Leptadenia reticulata . This study reveals that L. reticulata is a good source of fatty acids with medicinal properties. This methodology has the advantage of excellent identification of Non polar moiety of medicinal plant.