Comprehensive Phytochemical Profiling and Hptlc Analysis of Ficus. Tinctoria Subsp. Gibbosa Leaf Extract

Abstract

Medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential and their study plays an important role in the development of novel drugs and natural remedies. Ficus tinctoria subsp. gibbosa, is a hemi-epiphytic fig from the Moraceae family, is valued for its ecological and medicinal properties. This study aims to evaluate the phytochemical composition of the ethanolic leaf extract of F. tinctoria and assess its efficacy for further pharmacological investigations. Qualitative phytochemical screening of extracts using different solvents revealed that ethanol was most effective in extracting a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, phenols, tannins, cardiac glycosides, glycosides, lignin, coumarins, anthocyanins and volatile oils. Alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and tannins were consistently detected across all extracts, highlighting their widespread distribution and pharmacological relevance. Quantitative analysis of the ethanolic extract showed flavonoids (94.5 ± 0.1024 mg/g) as the predominant metabolite, followed by alkaloids (86.3 ± 0.2937 mg/g), phenols (76.4 ± 0.1287 mg/g) and tannins (61.1 ± 0.0823 mg/g), suggesting notable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and other therapeutic potentials. High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) confirmed the presence of flavonoids with significant similarity to standard quercetin at lower application volumes, indicating a high concentration of these compounds. Overall, the ethanolic leaf extract of F. tinctoria demonstrates substantial phytochemical richness and pharmacological potential, supporting its use in future drug discovery and natural product research.