Phytochemical screening and potential effects of Farsetia aegyptia turra seeds: A native desert herb, from Kuwait

Abstract

Native flora and their seeds are widely used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of illnesses. Kuwaitis an arid region with extensive desert ecosystems richly covered with indigenous vegetation, having widerange of therapeutic benefits. The study is intended to explore the phytochemicals in the seeds of a nativedesert plant, Farsetia aegyptia, to relate with their pharmacological features using GC-MS. The chromatogramportrayed the presence of 21 phytochemicals, the highest being Â-D-Glucopyranose, 1, 6-Anhydro- (26.48%)contributing as a natural energy source, with antitumor and antioxidative properties. The cyclohexanoneoxime and Furancarboxaldehyde, 5- (Hydroxymethyl were perceived in 21.22 % and 20.96 % with widepotential to inhibit microbial infections, with potential cytotoxic effects as they possessed antioxidantproperties.Other notable phytochemicals detected in prominent quantities are Pentanenitrile, 5-(Methylthio)- and Cis-Vaccenic acid in 11.79 and 5.64%, with potent anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidative activities.Many other fatty acids, as well as their esters, amides, amines, quinones, sterols, vitamins, and othercompounds, have been found to have a variety of benefits, that can alleviate severe human ailments. Thestudy opens the door to develop novel herbal medications with an ignored native plant flora, which have thepotential to treat fatal sicknesses, but still require more clinical evaluations to fully comprehend their effects.Further research is necessary to evaluate these results for possible clinical applications.