The phytochemical profiles and growth of Prunus africana in Kenya
Authors: NYAMAI DOROTHY W. , BURUGU MARION W. , NG’ANG’A MARGARET M. , MUCHUGI ALICE N. 
Published: February 2024

Abstract. Nyamai DW, Burugu MW, Ng’ang’a MM, Muchugi AN. 2022. The phytochemical profiles and growth of Prunus africana in Kenya. Asian J Nat Prod Biochem 20: 63-74. African mountain ranges are home to the evergreen tree Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman. Benign prostate hyperplasia can be treated with the bark or extracts from the bark of this plant. The primary goal of this research was to compare the domesticated stand at Muguga (Kenya) to samples taken from a wild stand in Kobujoi and a remnant on-farm stand in Karuri in terms of their growth characteristics and phytochemical profile. Various solvents, including water, hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol, were used in the compound extraction process. The phytochemical analysis was performed with Liquid Chromatography and Gas Chromatography-mass spectrometry. The GC Chemstation version 11 program was used to examine the data from the GC-MS. The trees in the Muguga tamed stand varied in height from 3 meters to 14 meters, with a corresponding range in circumference at breast height from 0.9 centimeters to 104.5 centimeters. A total of 273 trees were planted in the orchard, and 92 (33%) produced fruit when the data was collected. When comparing the raw organic extract yields of the three groups, there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05). Myristic acid, linoleic acid, lauric acid, methyl myristate, methyl laurate, and methyl linoleate made up the bulk of the essential oils in the bark samples across all three sources. For men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), these substances reduce cholesterol in the prostate. It was shown that dichloromethane and hexane extracts of the three populations included Campesterol, ?-sitosterol, lup-20(29)-en- 3-one, palmitic acid, ?-sitostenone, (3.?., 5.?)- stigmast-7-en-3-ol, stigmastan-3,5-diene, and ?-tocopherol. Increased urine output and decreased prostaglandin synthesis in the prostate are effects of (3.?., 5.?)-stigmast-7-en-3-ol, ?-sitosterol, and ?-sitostenone. Cyanidin-o-galactoside, cyanidin-3-o-rutinoside, procyanidin B5, and robinetinidol-(4-?-8) catechin-(6,4-?) robinetinol are thought to have anticancer effects by inhibiting cell proliferation and scavenging free radicals in cancer cells. Evidence suggests that ursolic acid can reduce inflammation, prevent cell damage, and slow the growth of BPH. The essential oils of the Karuri people had noticeably (p<0.05) more myristic and lauric acids than any other population. Myristic acid, linoleic acid, methyl myristate, and ?-tocopherol concentrations all varied significantly (p<0.05) between the Muguga population and the Karuri and Kobujoi populations. The findings show that the phytochemical composition of P. africana is not significantly changed by domestication (p>0.05), allowing for its cultivation in agricultural settings. Strategies for the sustainable collection, management, and conservation of this species through cultivation can be derived from the morphological and phytochemical data, which has crucial significance for these areas.