Characterization of phytoconstituents of vital herbal oils by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS and their bioactivities

The ancient Indian Siddha medicine system, practiced for thousands of years, is now receiving widespread recognition globally. "Siddha" system of medicine is one among the Indian traditional system of medicine that has its roots in Tamil culture. This study seeks to explore and document the diverse practices and medicinal remedies employed by Siddha practitioners. The Siddha formulations include oil-medicated herbal products and thailam, an oil formulation that contains drugs and raw extracts. Kuzhithailam is a specially prepared oil in the Siddha system by a destructive distillation process called the pudam process. Amukkara (Withania somnifera) and neem (Azadirachta indica) Kuzhithailams are two among the formulations. Neem, a popular herb for skin infections and general health because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and blood-purifying properties. Amukkara plant kizhangu helps mental health, boosts energy, and maintains hormonal balance. The current study investigates the metabolites of amukkara (AMKT) and neem Kuzhithailams (NMKT) by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Mass spectrometric analysis of AMKT and NMKT revealed the presence of metabolites belonging to different groups, including saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, phenolics, vitamins, terpenoids, and sterols. The alkaloid compounds, including withasomnine, pseudopelletierine, hygroline, and tigloidine, were detected in AMKT. Gedunin, nimbolide, 6-desacetylnimbin, 28-deoxonimbolide, azadiradione, nimbin, salannin, 2-monomyrsitin, and salannol were detected in NMKT. The Kuzhithailams possessed antioxidant activities, NMKT was observed to has a higher antioxidant capacity than AMKT. The bioactive compounds of neem Kuzhithailam have moieties like hydroxyl, ketone, conjugated double bonds, lactone etc. which stabilize the free radicals and contribute to higher antioxidant properties of NMKT compared to AMKT.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-06148-0.