Isolation of Mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica and GC-MS Analysis of Phytocomponents in Aqueous Extracts

Authors

  • Suman Mondal
  • Sangita Mandal
  • Aniket Gupta
  • Arpita Chatterjee
  • Amit Basu
  • Soma Jana
  • Avijit Kumar Dey
  • Biplab Debnath

Keywords:

Opuntia ficus-indica, GC-MS analysis, Phytocomponents, Natural polymer, Bioactive compounds

Abstract

The present study focuses on the extraction and analysis of mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica (commonly known as prickly pear cactus), a xerophytic plant known for its diverse pharmacological activities. Mucilage, a polysaccharide-rich natural hydrocolloid, was isolated from the cactus pads using cold aqueous maceration followed by acetone precipitation. The aqueous extract was further subjected to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to identify the phytochemical constituents. The GC-MS results revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds, including fatty acids, esters, alcohols, and steroids. These phytochemicals are known to exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. The findings validate the traditional use of Opuntia ficus-indica and suggest potential pharmaceutical applications of its mucilage in drug delivery systems, cosmeceuticals, and bioadhesive formulations

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Published

2025-05-27

How to Cite

1.
Mondal S, Mandal S, Gupta A, Chatterjee A, Basu A, Jana S, Kumar Dey A, Debnath B. Isolation of Mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica and GC-MS Analysis of Phytocomponents in Aqueous Extracts. J Neonatal Surg [Internet]. 2025May27 [cited 2025Oct.12];14(28S):223-36. Available from: https://www.jneonatalsurg.com/index.php/jns/article/view/6590