Phytochemical Investigation of Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus altilis and Artocarpus camansi

Abstract

Many tropical communities rely heavily on underutilized plants to meet their dietary and therapeutic needs, yet a lack of detailed comparative data on closely related species often hinders their full pharmacological exploitation. This study presents a comparative phytochemical investigation of Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus altilis, and Artocarpus camansi to map their secondary metabolite distributions across different plant tissues. Fresh leaves and stems from each species were collected from Aguluezechukwu in Anambra State, Nigeria, and authenticated at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Vouchers: NAUH-264A, NAUH-077B, and NAUH-265A). The samples were oven-dried at 80 degrees Celsius, pulverized, and processed using standard organic solvent extraction protocols. Qualitative screenings were conducted to identify major chemical classes, followed by quantitative evaluations of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, phenols, alkaloids, and hydrogen cyanide levels. Qualitative tests confirmed the presence of all targeted phytochemicals at varying concentrations across the three species. Quantitative analysis revealed that A. camansi produced the highest leaf flavonoid yield (12.08 ± 0.38%), while A. altilis accumulated the highest stem flavonoid concentration (6.27 ± 1.21%). Statistical analysis showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) in comparative flavonoid yields among the species. Conversely, a highly significant variation (p < 0.05) was observed in saponin distribution; A. heterophyllus yielded the highest saponin concentrations in both its leaves (37.69 ± 0.58%) and stems (27.17 ± 0.60%). Phenolic content peaked significantly in the leaf extract of A. altilis (42.11 ± 1.33%), which also displayed the highest overall stem tannin accumulation (13.66 ± 0.51%). Alkaloid fractions remained uniform and low across all samples, and hydrogen cyanide levels safely peaked at 3.13 ± 0.65 ug/g in A. heterophyllus leaves. In conclusion, while these Artocarpus species share foundational taxonomic traits, they exhibit distinct, tissue-specific variations in their secondary metabolite distribution. These findings provide a clear chemotaxonomic baseline that validates their targeted applications in traditional medicine and establishes a structured framework for future pharmaceutical isolation protocols.