Abstract

Lipid compositions of these plants Portulaca oleracea and Ficus thonningi were analyzed after extraction to determine the biochemical evidence for their therapeutic use as medicinal plants used in Nigeria. The lipids of P. oleracea and F. thonningi were extracted using chloroform and methanol (2:1), purified using Folch wash and analyzed using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and column chromatography to identify neutral and polar lipids and the various classes of lipids .The percentage composition of the various lipid fractions were calculated. The TLC result showed the presence of some neutral lipids, linoleic acid (66.7%) and triolene (26.7%) in P. oleracea and triolene (70%) in F. thonnningi and the polar lipids: Linolenic acid (50%),Oleic acid (35%), phospholipids (5%) and diacylglycerol in P. olerecea while in F. thonningi they were triolene (70%), triglycerol (30%), phosphatidate (26.7%), phospholipid (13.3), diacylglycerol (10%).Total lipid of P. oleracea is 35% and F. thonningi is 30%. Omega-3 fatty acids (50%) as well as omega-6 fatty acids (66.7%) presented in the biochemical evidence for the therapeutic use of purslane as a medicinal plant.

Key words: Lipids, chromatography, purslane, omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: TLC, Thin layer chromatography; CHD, coronary heart diseases; LDL,low density lipoprotein.