ANTIFUNGAL AND OTHER BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS IN ROOTS OF A HALOPHYTIC WEED Suaeda fruticosa

Suaeda fruticosa Forssk. ex J. F. Gmelin is a halophytic weed of family Amaranthaceae (previously in Chenopodiaceae) that covers vast stretches of salty alluvial flats on drier sites and coastal belts in Pakistan. In this study, mature plants of S. fruticosa were collected from district D.G. Khan during May 2021. After shade drying, the roots were crushed thoroughly and 5 g material was soaked in methanol for 2 weeks. After filtration, GC-MS analysis of the extract was done that showed presence of 14 compounds in the extract. Major compounds in the root were n-hexadecanoic acid (16.70%), oleic acid (16.39%), dodecanoic acid (15.68%) and dihydroxymaleic acid (15.58%). Other compounds were erythritol  (6.31%), 10-octadecenoic acid, methyl ester (6.01%), tetradecanoic acid (4.78%), 1,2-ethanediamine, N-ethyl-N'-methyl- (3.46%), pentadecanoic acid, 14-methyl-, methyl ester (3.66%), 8,11-octadecadienoic acid, methyl ester (2.85%), 2,4,6-cycloheptatrien-1-one, 3,5-bis-trimethylsilyl (2.44%), 2-oxo-3-methyl-cis-perhydro-1,3-benzoxazine (2.24%), cyclotrisiloxane, hexamethyl- (2.13%), and 1-hexadecanol (1.73%). Compounds present in roots of S. fruticosa are known to possess antifungal, antibacterial, nematicidal, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.