Identification of Bioactive Compounds in the Ethanolic and Hexanic Extracts of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves

This study aimed to identify the biologically active secondary metabolites present in the leaves of M. oleifera. This identification was performed by gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. As result, it was found that the M. oleifera cultivated in Teresina-PI presented 20 compounds in the ethanolic extract from the leaves, and the hexanic extract, 23 compounds. Only 9 compounds were common to the two extracts, and of the other phytochemicals, 3 are mentioned in other references about moringa, 7 have been identified in plants of other species, 16 have not yet been mentioned by any other reference as present in plants, and 11 have biological activity defined. The result of HPLC revealed, in the ethanolic extract of the leaves, the secondary metabolites catechin, rutin, myricetin, chlorogenic acid and coumarin, all with anti-cancer. antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Hexane extract, at HPLC, did not reveal phytocheinicals among the compared standards. It was concluded that M. oleifera leaf extracts presented some metabolites with biological activities that may be possible alternatives for the treatment of several diseases.