AccScience Publishing / ITPS / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ITPS025170030
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Phytochemical characterization of Alcea rosea seeds using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: A preliminary investigation of bioactive compounds

Gh Jeelani Mir1 ,  Bashir Ahmad Dar2 ,  Showket Ahmad Ganie3 ,  Rabia Hamid4*
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1 Department of Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
2 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Government Degree College, Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, India
3 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
4 Department of Nanotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
INNOSC Theranostics and Pharmacological Sciences, 025170030 https://doi.org/10.36922/ITPS025170030
Received: 24 April 2025 | Revised: 23 June 2025 | Accepted: 11 August 2025 | Published online: 2 September 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

The growing demand for natural therapeutic agents has intensified interest in plant-based compounds with potential pharmacological applications. Alcea rosea, traditionally employed in various ethnomedical systems, particularly for inflammatory and respiratory conditions, remains underexplored at the phytochemical level, especially concerning its seeds. The current study aims to bridge this gap by evaluating the chemical constituents of A. rosea seeds and assessing their potential bioactive significance using advanced analytical techniques. Ethyl acetate extraction was chosen for its efficiency in isolating semi-polar compounds, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the chemical content of the extract. This method enabled the detection of over 50 distinct molecular entities, among which 15 were identified as major components based on peak abundance and database matching using the National Institute of Standards and Technology mass spectral library and the Wiley Registry of Mass Spectral Data. The chemical landscape of the extract included a range of fatty acids, esters, and complex organic molecules, many of which are known to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic properties. Notable among these were linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid compounds, which are widely recognized for their contributions to cellular signaling, oxidative stress modulation, and tumor suppression. The identification of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and A13-09519 (chemically ethyl N-methylcarbamate) also points to lesser-known or unconventional phytoconstituents that may hold biomedical interest, although their origin and activity warrant further validation. This investigation reveals A. rosea seeds as a chemically rich botanical source with a diverse array of compounds that could support therapeutic applications. The study sets a precedent for future bioactivity-driven analyses and highlights the value of integrating traditional knowledge with modern phytochemical screening to uncover novel drug leads from botanical sources.

Keywords
Alcea rosea
Ornamental
Ethyl acetate
Gas chromatography mass–spectrometry analysis
Phytoconstituents
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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INNOSC Theranostics and Pharmacological Sciences, Electronic ISSN: 2705-0823 Print ISSN: 2705-0734, Published by AccScience Publishing
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