none 10.31254/phyto.2026.15204 BioMed Research Publishers BioMed Research Publishers 16195 193619704 316921 20260421020434314 10.31254 2026-04-21T02:04:39Z 2026-04-21T02:04:39Z 0 The Journal of Phytopharmacology J Phytopharmacol 2320480X 10.31254/phyto https://phytopharmajournal.com/ 4 17 2026 15 2 Jhancirani Neelamegam MVSc scholar, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur- 680651, Kerala, India https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8029-6767 Preethy John Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur- 680651, Kerala, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7973-8205 Nisha Aynikkattil Ravindran Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur- 680651, Kerala, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7121-1954 Suja Rani Sasidharan Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur- 680651, Kerala, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0315-6081 Indira Sukumaran Sajitha Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur- 680651, Kerala, India Pratheesh Mankuzhy Damodaran Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur- 680651, Kerala, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8284-9969 Background: Medicinal plants are valuable sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds that contribute significantly to drug discovery and development. Manilkara zapota has been traditionally used for various therapeutic purposes; however, comprehensive chemical characterization of its leaf extract remains limited. Objective: To preliminary phytochemical screening to determine the main classes of secondary metabolites in the extract, along with the determination of predominant functional groups by FTIR spectroscopy and the identification of bioactive compounds using GC-MS to explore the chemical composition of extract. Materials and Methods: Shade-dried leaves of M. zapota were extracted with methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. Co-extracted latex constituents were removed by acid-induced coagulation. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed on both latex-removed and untreated extracts. FTIR spectroscopy was employed to identify major functional groups, while GC-MS analysis was carried out to characterise bioactive constituents. Results: Qualitative screening revealed the presence of steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and saponins. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups corresponding to alcohols, alkanes, conjugated alkenes and esters. GC–MS analysis identified several bioactive compounds, including glycopeptide derivatives, phenolic compounds, fatty acid esters, monoglycerides and terpenoid constituents. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that M. zapota leaves are rich in diverse phytochemicals, supporting their potential therapeutic applications. 4 17 2026 144 149 1 10.31254/biomed-crossmark-policy www.biomedresearch.org false 10.31254/phyto.2026.15204 https://phytopharmajournal.com/articles/abstracts/895/year=2026&vol=15&issue=2