GC analysis of different parts of Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth for fatty acid composition

Abstract

Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth (Bignoniaceae), also known as yellow-bells, yellow-elder, yellow trumpet bush, trumpet bush, ginger-thomas, esperanza, tronadora, is native to the high altitude regions of South America and the drier habitats of North America. It has got naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions such as Africa, Asia, The Pacific Islands, and Australia. It is majorly used as an ornamental shrub with evergreen foliage, trumpet-shaped bright yellow, faintly fragrant bunchy flowers, and an abundance of fruits and seeds (CABI, 2020). As a medicinal plant, it is used traditionally for regulating high blood sugar levels; treating problems of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, eye, and skin, stimulating the immune system, and antidote against scorpion, snake; and rat bites (Winkelman, 1986; Irigoyen-Rascon & Paredes, 2015; Moe & Hlaing, 2019). Several pharmacological studies revealed its antioxidant, antidiabetic, cardioprotective, anticancer, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, anti-arthritic, and antimicrobial actions (Aguilar-Santamaría et al., 2009; Sbihi et al., 2015; Taher et al., 2016; Robinson et al., 2017; Bakr et al., 2019). Though the plant has played an essential role as a medicine for treating a broad spectrum of disease conditions, there is a paucity of information on its nutritional profiling. Up to now, 120 compounds have been identified and isolated from the plant, including monoterpene alkaloids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, phytosterols, volatile oils, and fatty acids (Sbihi et al., 2015; Taher et al., 2016). To date, data on the fatty acid profile of seed sample of the plant has been reported (Sbihi et al., 2015). Besides this there are no reports on the comparative fatty acid composition of Tecoma plant parts. Thus our study aimed to determine the fatty acid profile of Tecoma stans plant parts grown in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India.