Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology

A comparative phytochemical and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) investigation was carried out on the leaves and stems of Triumfettatomentosa Boj. and Triumfettarhomboidea Jacq. (family: Malvaceae) to evaluate their phytochemical composition and bioactive constituents. Standard qualitative and quantitative phytochemical assays were conducted on methanolic extracts of the leaves and stems, revealing the presence of tannins, saponins, and flavonoids in the leaves of both species, whereas alkaloids were absent. The stems of T. tomentosa contained saponins and tannins but lacked flavonoids and alkaloids. Quantitative determinations indicated that alkaloids ranged from 0.04 to 0.16 mg/mL, saponins from 0.81 to 1.51 mg/mL, tannins from 0.80 to 3.00 mg/mL, and flavonoids from 0.64 to 1.03 mg/mL. GC–MS profiling of dichloromethane extracts identified 59 compounds each in the leaf samples, 59 in the stem of T. tomentosa, and 56 in the stem of T. rhomboidea. Major constituents common to both species included phytol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and n-hexadecanoic acid in the leaves, and phytol, campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, apiol, and vitamin E in the stems. The predominant compounds in T. rhomboidei were 4,22-stigmastadiene-3-one (15.59%), β-Amyrone (11.38%), stigmasterol (10.67%), squalene (8.22%), and cholest-4-en-3-one (6.76%), whereas T. tomentosa contained β-sitosterol (14.15%), lup-20(29)-en-3-one (13.03%), and vitamin E (3.65%) as the most abundant constituents. The presence of these bioactive metabolites, recognized for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, underscores the pharmacological potential of both species. The occurrence of shared sterols and fatty acid derivatives suggests close chemotaxonomic affinity between the two species, while variations in the concentration and diversity of compounds reflect distinct metabolic adaptations within the genus Triumfetta.