# Metabolic Profiling of _Conyza sumatrensis_ ([PERSON].) [PERSON] from Lugazi, Uganda
## 3 Results and Discussion
### GC-MS Allows for Comprehensive Annotation of Volatile Compounds in Dried Leaf Samples
In summary, the headspace analysis supported major constituents of _C. sumatrenis_ from previous reports but also adds metabolic depth and several new compounds with interesting bioactivity and possible indications. Whether these bioactivities are found in aqueous formulations, which are often used in traditional medicine, remains to be shown. And clearly, the preliminary status of our compound annotation requires further confirmation. There is also still room for optimization to enhance the sensitivity, specificity, and overall analytical efficiency of these methods. Future studies should focus on refining these techniques to improve the detection and quantification of minor compounds, which could further elucidate the plant's phytochemical profile. Figure 2: (**A**) GC-MS headspace chromatogram with annotations of the 10 most prominent peaks and (**B**) percentage distribution of the annotated metabolite structure classes. A detailed overview of the detected compounds is shown in Table 2. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l} \hline
**Compound Class** & **Compound Name** & **Peak Area [\%] * & **Retention Time [min]** & **RI** \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Monoterpenses} & D-Limonene & 7.59 & 13.16 & 1034 \\  & \(\alpha\)-Pinene & 2.35 & 10.09 & 931 \\  & \(p\)-Cymene & 1.33 & 13.01 & 1029 \\  & \(\beta\)-Pinene & 0.81 & 11.51 & 979 \\  & \(\gamma\)-Terpinene & 0.58 & 14.09 & 1065 \\  & Camphene & 0.14 & 10.61 & 948 \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Sesquiterpenses} & Aristolene & 13.03 & 24.56 & 1414 \\  & \(\beta\)-Caryophyllene & 5.54 & 25.56 & 1448 \\  & \(\alpha\)-Humulene & 5.44 & 25.45 & 1444 \\  & \(\alpha\)-Copane & 3.40 & 23.40 & 1376 \\  & \(\beta\)-Bergamotene & 2.25 & 25.31 & 1439 \\  & \(\beta\)-Seliene & 1.72 & 26.15 & 1467 \\  & \(\alpha\)-Seliene & 1.32 & 26.29 & 1472 \\  & \(\gamma\)-Muurolene & 1.10 & 25.85 & 1457 \\  & Salival-4(14)-en-1-one & 0.87 & 27.80 & 1523 \\  & \(\beta\)-Cubebene & 0.85 & 24.82 & 1423 \\  & \(\beta\)-Bourbonene & 0.78 & 23.62 & 1383 \\  & \(\delta\)-Cadinene & 0.77 & 26.65 & 1484 \\  & \(cis\)-Calamenene & 0.60 & 26.70 & 1486 \\  & \(\beta\)-Copane & 0.55 & 25.99 & 1462 \\ \hline Diterpene & Neophytadiene & 12.94 & 30.23 & 1604 \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Hydrocarbons} & Norpinane & 1.67 & 23.74 & 1387 \\  & 2.4-Dimethyl-1-decene & 0.86 & 14.66 & 1084 \\  & 3,3-Dimethyl-octane & 0.63 & 12.48 & 1011 \\  & 2,5,5-Trimethyl-heptane & 0.52 & 12.61 & 1015 \\  & 2,4-Dimethyl-1-heptene & 0.44 & 7.239 & 836 \\  & 5-Ethly-2-methyl-octane & 0.43 & 13.99 & 1061 \\  & 4,6-Dimethyl-dodecane & 0.43 & 19.60 & 1249 \\  & 3,8-Dimethyl-undecane & 0.43 & 19.80 & 1255 \\  & Dodecane & 0.42 & 18.46 & 1211 \\  & Heptadecane & 0.41 & 20.58 & 1281 \\  & 3,7-Dimethyl-undecane & 0.35 & 15.41 & 1109 \\  & 5-Methyl-undecane & 0.30 & 14.17 & 1067 \\  & 2,6,7-Trimethyl-decane & 0.25 & 18.82 & 1223 \\  & Dotriacontane & 0.25 & 26.06 & 1464 \\  & Hexadecane & 0.24 & 21.88 & 1325 \\  & 3,7-Dimethyl-decane & 0.17 & 19.36 & 1241 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{Lactone} & (2,6,6-Trimethyl-2- & \multirow{2}{*}{1.72} & \multirow{2}{*}{26.80} & \multirow{2}{*}{1489} \\  & hydroxycyclohexylidene)acetic acid lactone & & & \\ \hline Carboxylic acid & Acetic acid & 1.59 & 2.56 & 680 \\ \hline Fatty acid ester & Phytyl palmitate & 0.30 & 30.59 & 1616 \\ \hline Aldehydes & Hexanal & 6.78 & 6.11 & 798 \\  & Pentanal & 1.43 & 3.87 & 723 \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Alcohols} & 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol & 1.25 & 30.43 & 1610 \\  & 1-Penten-3-ol & 0.79 & 3.66 & 716 \\ \cline{1-1}  & 1-Octen-3-ol & 0.41 & 11.61 & 982 \\ \hline \end{tabular}  
* The TIC peak area was determined using GCMSsolution version 4.20 (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) as a semiquantitative indicator for relative abundance and refers to the sum of all peak areas over the entire chromatogram.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Volatile compounds detected with GC-MS headspace analysis. The compounds were assigned and ordered according to their corresponding chemical class based on their basic structure.