Screening of select ornamental flowers of the family Apocynaceae for phytochemical constituents

ObjectiveTo examine the phyto-constituents present in some ornamental flowers of the family Apocynaceae.MethodsAqueous, acetone, petroleum ether, chloroform and ethanol extracts of the flowers were prepared by adding 50 g of fresh fallen flowers of the family Apocynaceae (Allamanda cathartica Linn., Allamanda violacea Gardn. & Fielding, Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb) R.Br. and Nerium oleander Linn.) to 200 ml of these solvents; the constituents were shaken at room temperature for 24 h. After incubation, the extracts were filtered by using Whatman No.1 filter paper, collected and stored at 4°C. The extracts were concentrated by using vacuum evaporator and dried at 60°C. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed by the Harborne method.ResultsDifferent phyto-constituents such as alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, coumarins, quinones, phytosterols, proteins and carbohydrates were identified in the extracts. The presence or absence of the phyto-constituents depended upon the solvent medium used for extraction and the physiological property of the flowers.ConclusionsThe findings of this study reveal that even ornamental flowers have potential antimicrobial compounds that may be of great use for developing plant-based drugs.