Abstract:
Commonly referred to as the Mathenge plant in Kenya, the plant Prosopis juliflora has been
considered as a noxious weed within the boundaries of Kenya occupying ASAL lands, colonizing water bodies
and affecting livestock by the blocking of their rumens, causing diarrhoea and in some cases leading to the loss
of teeth which eventually leads to death. Despite these disadvantages, the plant has been identified in several
nations as a plant of great medicinal value being used for the treatment of eye problems, digestive problems, lung
problems, and sore throats among other ailments. These medicines have mainly been extracted from the pods,
leaves and bark. Acetonic extracts of the heartwood have in recent research been shown to be high in flavonoid
content with mesquitol being an isolated compound of interest. This is because mesquitol, in comparison to the
existing antioxidants such as catechin, probucol and alpha-tocopherol has been shown to have better antioxidant
and radical scavenging properties potentials hence it can be useful for managing diseases such as cancer and
diabetes. With the heartwood being significantly different from the other parts of the plant, limited research
has been done on the phytochemicals present, their total flavonoid contents, total phenolic content and potential
medicinal uses. Phytochemical screening of acetonic extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids,
terpenoids, steroids, tannins and no saponins. The total flavonoid content was 33.7 ± 1.22 while the total phenolic
content was 53.5 ± 2.6 GAE. GC-MS evaluation of the crude extracts identified five potential compounds
namely 2(4H)-benzofuranone,5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,4,7a-trimethyl; 2(4H)-benzofuranone 5,6,7,7a-tetra hydro-
4,4,7a-trimethyl-(R); cyclopentane-carboxylic acid 3-(3-fluorophenylcarbamoyl)-1,2,2-trimethyl; 6,6-dimethyl-
10-methylene-1-oxa-spiro[4.5] decane; and 2-pentanol, 2,4-dimethyl.