PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING AND IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF PRUNUS PERSICA SEED EXTRACT: AN LC-MS AND GC-MS BASED INVESTIGATION

Abstract

Natural products are a significant resource for bioactive compounds that could have antioxidant activity. Prunus persica (L.) These are rich in various phytochemicals, which could account for their biological activities, but there is a lack of detailed information on the chemical composition and antioxidant properties of these seeds. The objective of the present work was to study in detail the phytochemical profile and in vitro antioxidant activity of Prunus persica seed extract by chromatographic and antioxidant evaluation techniques. The unsaponifiable fraction was obtained through Soxhlet extraction and saponification of Prunus persica seeds followed by liquid–liquid fractionation. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used for preliminary phytochemical characterization. The phytochemical profile of the extract was comprehensively analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The antioxidant potential was subsequently determined employing DPPH, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and ABTS radical scavenging assay with ascorbic acid serving as the reference antioxidant. 12 phytoconstituents (neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, synephrine, bilobalide, tetrahydropalmatine, sclareol) were tentatively identified by LC–MS analysis. The results showed eighteen compounds with varying chemical classes through it was found using GC–MS profiling, which includes phenolic derivatives, esters and fatty acid-related constituents. The extract showed low levels of DPPH radical scavenging activity and strong ferric reducing activity in FRAP assay. The antioxidant activity of the extract was also confirmed by the ABTS assay. The activity observed may be due to the synergistic effects of several bioactive phytochemicals found in the plant by chromatographic analysis. The results revealed that the extract from Prunus persica seeds contains significant antioxidant activity and is rich in phytochemically diverse constituents. The findings give a scientific basis for further investigations to isolate the active compounds and to assess the importance of the biological aspects of oxidative stress related diseases.