Nutraceuticals in Dichloromethane Extracts of Leaves, Fruit Peels, and Seeds of Persea americana and their Phytomedicinal Significance

Introduction: The presence of nutraceuticals in plants, their extraction, administration, and absorption has been the underlying principle behind phytomedicine. Methods: Fresh leaves, ripe fruit peels, and matured seeds of Persea americana Mill from the University of Port Harcourt garden were separated and dried at 23ºC in a well-ventilated closet until a constant weight was achieved. After seven days, the samples were separately pulverized into a fine powder. Ten grams of each sample, staple-sealed in separate Whatman No. 4 filter paper, were extracted in Soxhlet extractors using dichloromethane. The extracts obtained were concentrated, and their nutraceuticals were determined using GC-MS. Results and Discussion: Among the 14 classes of nutraceuticals observed, methylene chloride was the only organochlorine compound and was most predominant in the fruit peel, with a concentration of 32.174%. The most prominent alkanol and aliphatic hydrocarbon were 1,13- Tridecanediol diacetate (24.427%) and 5-Undecyne (7.900%) in the leaf and seed extracts, respectively. The highest fatty acid in the fruit peel, leaf, and seed was n-hexadecanoic acid, with concentrations of 6.627%, 2.458%, and 0.809%, respectively. The predominant furans and terpenes were 2-n-Octylfuran and Neophytadiene, with concentrations of 2.004% in the seed and 4.067% in the leaf. The highest alkaloid and pyrazine were 4H-quinolizine-4-thione and 2-(npropyl)- pyrazine in the fruit peel and seed, with concentrations of 5.154% and 1.062%, respectively. The most prominent ketone and carboxylic acid were 4,4-dimethoxy-2-butanone (1.494%) in the leaf and 2-propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, cyclohexyl ester (15.316%) in the seed. Ethane, isothiocyanato in the fruit peel; cyclopropane, 1,1-dimethyl-2-(2,4-pentadienyl), and (E)-2-methylbut-2- en-1-ylmethacrylate in the seed extract, with concentrations of 4.657%, 4.410%, and 0.760%, respectively, were the most predominant cyanide, cycloalkene, and aldehyde. Conclusion: This study reveals these plant sections as nutraceutical hives of promising pharmaceutical compounds.