INTEGRATED PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF STRYCHNOS NUX-VOMICA USING MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY (ULTRAVIOLET-VIS AND FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED) AND HYPHENATED CHROMATOGRAPHY (GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY)

Objectives: Integrating ultraviolet (UV)-Vis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques provides a comprehensive approach to phytochemical analysis by combining compound quantification (UV-Vis), molecular identification (FTIR), and detailed component profiling (GC-MS). The objective of this study was to analyze the phytochemical content of the methanolic leaf extract of Strychnos nux-vomica L. Methods: The photochemical content of the methanolic leaf extract was analyzed by molecular spectroscopic techniques, i.e., UV-Vis and FTIR, along with a hyphenated chromatography, i.e., GC-MS. Results: In the UV-Vis spectrum, the most prominent peaks are in the UV region (200–300 nm range), with the highest absorbance at 204.0 nm (0.583371) corresponding to phenolic compounds. The peaks at 225 and 354 aligns with anthraquinones, and 259 may correspond to phenylpropanoid. Several smaller peaks are also visible in the 330–371 nm range. In the FTIR spectrum, 11 distinctive bands were absorbed, i.e., 3375.88, 2925.63, 2361.21, 1710.59, 1607.42, 1452.60, 1377.41, 1266.64, 1073.04, 1029.52, and 669.71: A broad peak at 3375.88 cm−1 which correspond to phenolics, flavonoids and alkaloids and a narrow peak at 669.71 cm−1 which correspond to aromatic compounds (alkaloids and flavonoids). The GC-MS chromatogram identified eight major phytochemicals according to their retention times, peak areas, and molecular characteristics. Based on the peak area, the highest and lowest peaks observed are at 9.324 min and 27.96 min, with areas of 14.7% and 2.96%, respectively. The peak at 9.324 min was identified as 2-butenethioic acid, S-[2-(acetylamino)ethyl] ester with 14.7% area, and the peak at 27.96 min was identified as tridecanoic acid, a methyl ester with 2.96% area. Conclusion: The integration of UV-Vis, FTIR, and GC-MS techniques provided a comprehensive phytochemical profile of S. nux-vomica methanolic leaf extract. The results confirmed the presence of multiple bioactive compounds, supporting the plant’s traditional medicinal applications. These findings lay the groundwork for future research that should focus on isolating these compounds and validating their pharmacological potential through biological and toxicological studies.