Pattekar P.S., Patil, H.S. and Shitole, S.M.
Abstract
The present study investigated the qualitative and quantitative phytochemical composition of ethanolic extracts from Lactuca serriola, Argemone mexicana, Celosia argentea, and Euphorbia hirta. Qualitative screening confirmed the presence of proteins, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, carbohydrates, alkaloids, glycosides, and steroids in all species, while saponins were absent and terpenoids were detected only in L. serriola, C. argentea, and E. hirta. Quantitative estimation, performed using standard colorimetric assays and analyzed via one-way ANOVA followed by Tukeyâs HSD (p < 0.05), revealed significant interspecific variation in all metabolites. E. hirta exhibited the highest carbohydrate (1093.00 ± 2.84 µg/ml) and tannin (77.9 µg/ml) contents, while A. mexicana and E. hirta showed the highest flavonoid levels (~485 µg/ml). L. serriola recorded the highest protein yield (2.77 mg/g) and phenolic content (24.51 ± 0.16 µg/ml). These findings provided a biochemical basis for selecting these species for pharmaceutical applications and demonstrated the value of combining qualitative screening with statistically validated quantitative profiling in phytochemical research.