Phytochemical studies of Cynodon dactylon (L.) and isolation and characterization of bis(2-ethylheptyl) phthalate from the plant

Abstract

In this study, the phylum <em>Cynodon dactylon</em> was assessed phyto-chemically. The results revealed that the plant had a rich source of phytochemicals as the root of this plant contains 830.27 mg/kg of carbohydrate. Also, 2.5 mg/g phenolic compounds were found in the ethanolic extract of the plant. Fatty acid composition of the plant as also investigated, wherein palmitic acid and linoleic acid had the highest contents in aerial parts of <em>C. dactylon</em> with 37.63% and 30.45%, respectively. In addition, high antiradical activity was found for the stem extract of the plant. Finally, bis(2-ethylheptyl) phthalate as an anti-oxidant and anticancer compound was extracted from the <em>C. dactylon</em> plant stem extract and fully identified and characterized using the FT-IR, CHN, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR analysis along with various 2D NMR techniques.