Comparative GC-MS Analysis of Methanol, Ethyl Acetate, and n-Hexane Extracts of Melia azedarach L. Fruit

Qurratu Aini; Nurdin Nurdin; Mustanir Mustanir; Safrida Safrida

doi:10.60084/mp.v4i2.444

Authors

Qurratu Aini Graduate School of Mathematics and Applied Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Muhammadiyah Aceh, Indonesia
Nurdin Nurdin Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Mustanir Mustanir Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Safrida Safrida Department of Biology Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60084/mp.v4i2.444

Keywords:

Solvent polarity, Fatty acids, Phytosterols, Triterpenoids, Metabolite profiling

Abstract

Melia azedarach L. is a medicinal plant traditionally used in various communities and is known to contain chemically diverse phytoconstituents. This study aimed to characterize and compare the phytochemical profiles of methanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane extracts of M. azedarach fruit using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The three extracts showed distinct chemical profiles that reflected differences in solvent polarity. The methanolic extract produced 14 chromatographic peaks corresponding to 42 possible compounds and was dominated by cis-vaccenic acid (55.35%), 17-octadecynoic acid (19.11%), and n-hexadecanoic acid (8.71%). The ethyl acetate extract contained 15 peaks corresponding to 45 possible compounds, with cis-vaccenic acid (30.23%), heptadecane, 2,6,10,15-tetramethyl- (16.38%), and β-sitosterol-related compounds (9.26%) as the major constituents. The n-hexane extract showed the greatest number of chromatographic peaks, with 28 peaks corresponding to 84 possible compounds, and was dominated by hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (29.67%), 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (19.42%), farnesyl bromide (12.49%), and cis-vaccenic acid (7.55%). Overall, the extracts were characterized predominantly by fatty acids, fatty acid esters, and lower-abundance terpenoid-, triterpenoid-, and sterol-related constituents. The differences among the three extracts demonstrate the influence of solvent polarity on the phytochemical composition of M. azedarach fruit. Because compound assignments were based primarily on GC-MS library matching, the identified constituents should be considered tentative until confirmed using authentic standards or complementary structural techniques. These findings provide a comparative chemical profile of M. azedarach fruit and a basis for further compound confirmation and targeted biological evaluation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Fakri, F., Harahap, S. P., Muhni, A., Khairan, K., Hewindati, Y. T., and Idroes, G. M. (2023). Antimicrobial Properties of Medicinal Plants in the Lower Area of Ie Seu-Um Geothermal Outflow, Indonesia, Malacca Pharmaceutics, Vol. 1, No. 2, 55–61. doi:10.60084/mp.v1i2.44.
Singarimbun, E., Elfrida, E., and Indriaty, I. (2024). Indigenous Knowledge and Herbal Medicine: Exploring the Ethnobotany of the Karo Tiganderket Tribe in Indonesia, Heca Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol. 2, No. 2, 74–86. doi:10.60084/hjas.v2i2.208.
Tengke, F. W. A., Tallei, T. E., Turalaki, G. L. A., Tendean, L. E. N., Kaseke, M. M., Niode, N. J., and Fatimawali, F. (2026). Mechanistic Exploration of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Bioactives in Prostate Cancer Using Network Pharmacology, Grimsa Journal of Science Engineering and Technology, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1–22. doi:10.61975/gjset.v4i1.105.
Adnan, A., Navia, Z. I., Silvia, M., Antika, M., Suwardi, A. B., Baihaqi, B., and Yakob, M. (2022). Diversity of Herbs and Spices Plants and Their Importance in Traditional Medicine in the South Aceh District, Indonesia, Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, Vol. 23, No. 7. doi:10.13057/biodiv/d230761.
M’rabet, Y., Rokbeni, N., Cluzet, S., Boulila, A., Richard, T., Krisa, S., Marzouki, L., Casabianca, H., and Hosni, K. (2017). Profiling of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Melia Azedarach L. Leaves and Fruits at Two Stages of Maturity, Industrial Crops and Products, Vol. 107, 232–243. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.05.048.
Wang, W., Xia, Z., Tian, Z., Jiang, H., Zhan, Y., Liu, C., Li, C., and Zhou, H. (2020). Chemical Constituents from the Fruits of Melia Azedarach (Meliaceae), Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, Vol. 92, 104094. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2020.104094.
Cao, F., Chen, J., Lin, Z.-T., Lin, H.-Y., Liu, B., Chen, Z.-W., Ma, X.-H., and Zhang, Y.-H. (2024). Chemical Constituents from the Fruit of Melia Azedarach and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity, Antioxidants, Vol. 13, No. 11, 1338. doi:10.3390/antiox13111338.
Jeba Malar, T. R. J., Antonyswamy, J., Vijayaraghavan, P., Ock Kim, Y., Al-Ghamdi, A. A., Elshikh, M. S., Hatamleh, A. A., Al-Dosary, M. A., Na, S. W., and Kim, H.-J. (2020). In-Vitro Phytochemical and Pharmacological Bio-Efficacy Studies on Azadirachta Indica A. Juss and Melia Azedarach Linn for Anticancer Activity, Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol. 27, No. 2, 682–688. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.11.024.
Khan, M. F., Rawat, A. K., Khatoon, S., Hussain, M. K., Mishra, A., and Negi, D. S. (2018). In Vitro and in Vivo Antidiabetic Effect of Extracts of Melia Azedarach, Zanthoxylum Alatum , and Tanacetum Nubigenum, Integrative Medicine Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, 176–183. doi:10.1016/j.imr.2018.03.004.
Seifu, D., Gustafsson, L., Chawla, R., Genet, S., Debella, A., Holst, M., and Hellström, P. (2017). Antidiabetic and Gastric Emptying Inhibitory Effect of Herbal Melia Azedarach Leaf Extract in Rodent Models of Diabetes Type 2 Mellitus, Journal of Experimental Pharmacology, Vol. Volume 9, 23–29. doi:10.2147/JEP.S126146.
Siringo-Ringo, A. F., Fatimawali, F., Bodhi, W., Manampiring, A. E., Kepel, B. J., and Budiarso, F. D. H. (2024). From Nature to Laboratory: The Impact of Leilem Leaves’ Ethanol Extract on Pancreatic Lipase Enzyme Activity, Grimsa Journal of Science Engineering and Technology, Vol. 2, No. 1, 12–20. doi:10.61975/gjset.v2i1.23.
Maulana, A., Faisal, F. R., Noviandy, T. R., Rizkia, T., Idroes, G. M., Tallei, T. E., El-Shazly, M., and Idroes, R. (2023). Machine Learning Approach for Diabetes Detection Using Fine-Tuned XGBoost Algorithm, Infolitika Journal of Data Science, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1–7. doi:10.60084/ijds.v1i1.72.
Bajaj, M., McCoy, R. G., Balapattabi, K., Bannuru, R. R., Bellini, N. J., Bennett, A. K., Beverly, E. A., Briggs Early, K., ChallaSivaKanaka, S., Echouffo-Tcheugui, J. B., Everett, B. M., Garg, R., Laffel, L. M., Lal, R., Matfin, G., Pandya, N., Pekas, E. J., Peters, A. L., Pilla, S. J., et al. (2026). 2. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026, Diabetes Care, Vol. 49, No. Supplement_1, S27–S49. doi:10.2337/dc26-S002.
Ong, K. L., Stafford, L. K., McLaughlin, S. A., Boyko, E. J., Vollset, S. E., Smith, A. E., Dalton, B. E., Duprey, J., Cruz, J. A., Hagins, H., Lindstedt, P. A., Aali, A., Abate, Y. H., Abate, M. D., Abbasian, M., Abbasi-Kangevari, Z., Abbasi-Kangevari, M., Abd ElHafeez, S., Abd-Rabu, R., et al. (2023). Global, Regional, and National Burden of Diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with Projections of Prevalence to 2050: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, The Lancet, Vol. 402, No. 10397, 203–234. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01301-6.
Aini, Q., Nurdin, N., Mustanir, M., Safrida, S., and Fauzi, T. R. (2025). Phytochemical Screening of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Methanol Extract from Melia Azedarach L. Fruit: Exploring for Antidiabetic Potential, Narra X, Vol. 3, No. 2, e229. doi:10.52225/narrax.v3i2.229.
Calder, P. C. (2015). Functional Roles of Fatty Acids and Their Effects on Human Health, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, Vol. 39, No. 1S. doi:10.1177/0148607115595980.
Kabara, J. J., Swieczkowski, D. M., Conley, A. J., and Truant, J. P. (1972). Fatty Acids and Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Vol. 2, No. 1, 23–28. doi:10.1128/AAC.2.1.23.
Desbois, A. P., and Smith, V. J. (2010). Antibacterial Free Fatty Acids: Activities, Mechanisms of Action and Biotechnological Potential, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol. 85, No. 6, 1629–1642. doi:10.1007/s00253-009-2355-3.
Sermakkani, M., and Thangapandian, V. (2012). GC-MS Analysis of Cassia Italica Leaf Methanol Extract, Asian J Pharm Clin Res, Vol. 5, No. 2, 90–94.
Nie, W., Wang, Y., Tian, X., Liu, J., Jin, Z., Xu, J., He, M., Shen, Q., Guo, H., and Luan, T. (2024). Cucurbitacin B and Its Derivatives: A Review of Progress in Biological Activities, Molecules, Vol. 29, No. 17, 4193. doi:10.3390/molecules29174193.
Fernandes, P., and Cabral, J. M. S. (2007). Phytosterols: Applications and Recovery Methods, Bioresource Technology, Vol. 98, No. 12, 2335–2350. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2006.10.006.
Awais, M., Musmar, S. A., Kabir, F., Batool, I., Rasheed, M. A., Jamil, F., Khan, S. U., and Tlili, I. (2020). Biodiesel Production from Melia Azedarach and Ricinus Communis Oil by Transesterification Process, Catalysts, Vol. 10, No. 4, 427. doi:10.3390/catal10040427.
Naveed, M., Ali, I., Aziz, T., Ali, N., Hassan, A., Rahman, S. U., Aziz, R., and Alharbi, M. (2024). Assessment of Melia Azedarach Plant Extracts Activity Against Hypothetical Protein of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis via GC-MS Analysis and In Silico Approaches, Journal of Computational Biophysics and Chemistry, Vol. 23, No. 03, 299–320. doi:10.1142/S2737416523500631.
Jawad, D. A. A., and Al Garaawi, N. I. (2022). Phytochemical and the Antifungal Activity of Melia Azedarach Ethanol Extracts from Leaves of Plants in Iraq, International Journal of Health Sciences, 2679–2686. doi:10.53730/ijhs.v6nS9.13019.