Purpose: Practice of medicinal plants for the treatment of various ailments is a history for several decades. Occurrence of active compounds in these plants makes it significant in the era of modern medicine. Garlic and onion a monocotyledonous bulbous flowering plant belonging to the genus Allium has an extensive tradition for being used as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-hyperepidemic, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial, neuroprotective agent against various disorders. Modern day synthetic formulations have reduced efficacy and rendered with side effects that channelled the exploration for alternate source in plants for dealing with various disorders. The present study aims to explore the bioactive compounds present in Allium sativum (Garlic) and Allium cepa (Red Onion).
Methods: Garlic and onion powder was soaked in Methanol, filtered, and concentrated in a vacuum in a rotary evaporator. Fractionation was carried out.LC-MS analysis of aqueous fraction was performed using a Waters Mass Q-TOF Mass Spectrometer with diode array detector.
Results: LC-MS analysis revealed the occurrence of 200 compounds in garlic and 184 compounds in onion. 3.53% in garlic and 4.37% in onion were the major chemical constituents based on the number of hits.
Conclusion: This study suggests that the Allium sativum and Allium cepa herbal powders being loaded with large number of active compounds would be promising alternative agents due to their richness in antioxidants.
Keywords: Allium cepa; Allium sativum; LC-MS; Mass Spectrometer; Neuroprotective.