ABSTRACT

 Buchholzia coriacea is used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases such as worm infestation, hypertension, diabetes, malaria, migraine, conjunctivitis, asthma, and cough. Hence, the aim of this research is to probe the chemical constituents of B. coriacea seeds in order to determine the chemical compounds responsible for its diverse applications in ethnomedicine, including as an anthelmintic. The air-dried and pulverized seeds of B. coriacea were extracted with methanol by cold maceration and concentrated using a rotary evaporator. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screenings ofthe crude seed powder and the methanol extract were performed. Column and thin-layer chromatographic techniques were employed in compound isolation and purification. Fourier Transform infrared (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ('HNMR, IjCNMR, H-H COSY, and DEPT) spectroscopy were used in structural elucidation. Anthelmintic activity was assessed through total worm count reduction (TWCR). In vivo acute toxicity studies of crude seed powder and methanol seed extracts of B. coriacea were performed. The phytochemical screening of the crude seed powder and the methanol extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, steroids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, phenols, phytates, and hydrogen cyanide, with flavonoids and steroids registering the highest (13.04 ±0.02 0.02%) and lowest (0.01 ± 0.00%) presence in the crude seed powder and methanol extract, respectively. Fractions E4W and E12W gave single spots on TLC with retention factors (R|) of 0.61 and 0.53, respectively. The proposed isolated compounds were 4-(Z)-2-[3-[(lE)-buta-l,3-dienyl]-2- phenyl-2-(4-carboxyphenyI)vinyl]benzoic acid (E4W) and 6-tridecylnaphthalene-2- carboxylic acid (E12W). Results obtained from the in vivo anthelmintic study revealed a reduction in total worm count from 2.50, 16.75, 8.59, 17.97, and 0.00% in day 0 to 100.00% in day 18 for methanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane (E4W) and (E12W), respectively, against Heligmosomoides bakeri, compared to abendazole, which showed TWCR from 3.75% in day 0 to 100.00% in day 6. Further investigation ofthe acute toxicity ofthe methanol extract ofB. coriacea seeds revealed no acute toxicity upon administration of up to 5000 mg/kg body weight in the tested Swiss albino mice. These investigations therefore authenticate the use of B. coriacea in ethnomedicine against worm infection as well as its safety for consumption. This study therefore suggested the use of the isolated compounds and B. coriacea seeds in pharmaceutical and herbal formulations of anthelmintics