QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF HEAVY METALS AND FTIR-BASED PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING OF CASSIA SINGUEANA LEAVES EXTRACT AS A HERBAL MEDICINE

Abstract

Cassia singueana leaves have several applications in traditional medicine and are commercially sold as herbal crude drugs in Northern Nigeria. This research aims to evaluate the heavy metal contamination and functional group profile of various extracts of Cassia singueana for its identification and quality control. The Cassia singueana sample was digested, and heavy metals were analysed using AAS. Furthermore, the sample was extracted by maceration in ethanol, water, and petroleum ether (60-80 ^oC) for FTIR analysis. Heavy metals, including Mn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Fe, and Cu, were all within the WHO limit, except for Mn. The FTIR analysis of the aqueous, methanol, and petroleum ether extracts of cassia singueana revealed the presence of functional groups such as alcohols, alkanes, carboxylic acids and alkenes across the extracts. This research provides referential data for standardization of Cassia singueana crude drug which in turn helps the herbal formulation industries to abide by good manufacturing practices thereby improving the value chain and assisting regulatory agencies in pharmacovigilance of the crude drug.