PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING AND QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF SANTALUM ALBUM EXTRACT

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the phytochemical profile of Santalum album extract and to determine its major phytochemical constituents. Plant material was extracted using a hydroalcoholic solvent system, which yielded 5.26 g of extract with a percentage yield of 10.52% w/w. The obtained extract was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening using standard chemical tests to detect different classes of secondary metabolites. The results demonstrated the presence of several phytoconstituents, with the distribution varying according to the solvent used for extraction. Alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, diterpenes, proteins, carbohydrates, saponins and tannins were detected in selected extracts, whereas glycosides and sterols were not detected under the tested conditions. Quantitative estimation of the hydroalcoholic extract showed a total phenolic content of 0.74 mg/100 mg, total flavonoid content of 0.89 mg/100 mg, and total alkaloid content of 0.42 mg/100 mg of dried extract. Among the estimated phytochemical groups, flavonoids were present in the highest amount, followed by phenolic compounds and alkaloids. These findings indicate that Santalum album contains a diverse range of phytochemical constituents and provide a preliminary basis for further pharmacological and phytochemical investigation of the plant extract.