In vitro antioxidant,antimicrobial and antiproliferative studies of four different extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus,Gynura procumbens and Ficus deltoidea

BackgroundMedicinal plants are important source of drugs with pharmacological activities. Therefore, there is always rising demands to discover more therapeutic agents from various species. Orthosiphon stamineus, Gynura procumbens and Ficus deltoidea are high valued medicinal plants of Malaysia contain rich source of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The aims of the present study were to evaluate anti-oxidant, antimicrobial and anti-proliferative effects on A549, HePG2 and MCF7 cell lines of four different extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus, Gynura procumbens and Ficus deltoidea.MethodologyThe leaves of all selected plants were extracted with methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol separately with simple cold maceration. Antioxidant activity of all crude extracts were quantitatively measured against DPPH and Ferric Reducing Assay. Antimicrobial evaluation was done by Microdilution and MTT assay and antipoliferative activity of all extracts of selected plant were evaluated against A549, HePG2 and MCF7 cell lines.ResultsResults showed that methanol extract exhibited highest percentage free radical scavenging activity of almost all extracts of selected plants. Antimicrobials results showed chloroform and methanol extracts of O. stamineus extract were the two most active extracts against resistant MRSA but not S. aureus. Only methanol extract of G. procumbens showed antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens. Chloroform and methanol extracts of F. deltoidea elicited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus but not MRSA. Antiproliferative activity against three tested cell lines results showed that ethyl acetate extract of O. stamineus showed good effect whereas methanol extract of F. deltoidea and G. procumbens exhibited good antiproliferative activity.ConclusionsThe results of the present investigation demonstrated significant variations in the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects of different solvent extracts. These data could be helpful in isolation of pure potent compounds with good biological activities from the extracts of plants.     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of two extracts from Capparis spinosa L. and Rumex nervosus and molecular docking investigation of selected major compounds

The present study examined the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties, and molecular docking of different solvents extracts (methanol and water) of two medicinal plants, namely, Capparis spinosa L (CS) and Rumex nervosus (RN). Phytochemical analysis showed that total phenol, flavonoids, alkaloids, and vitamin C were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher in the methanolic extract of both plants than in other solvents. However, tannin content was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) high in the water extract for both plants. Chloroform and acetone extracts were significantly lower in phytochemicals than other solvents, therefore excluded in this study. GC–MS analysis showed one dominant compound in CS (isopropyl isothiocyanate) and two in RN (pyrogallol and palmitic acid). The antioxidant methods applied (DPPH, ABTS, β-Carotene/linoleic acid assay, and reducing the power) showed that the methanolic extract of CS exerted higher activity in methanolic extract but lower than that of BHA standard. The methanolic extract of both plants inhibited the bacterial pathogens when a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method was applied, compared to water extract with RN-methanolic extract had a lower inhibition concentration than CS-methanolic extract. The molecular interactions study revealed that the palmitic acid and pyrogallol interacted with the receptors' active site. This work concluded that CS and RN showed a remarkable antioxidant and antibacterial effect with the high antimicrobial activity of RN extract.     

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Trans-Himalayan Alga Spirogyra porticalis (Muell.) Cleve

The freshwater alga Spirogyra porticalis (Muell.) Cleve, a filamentous charophyte, collected from the Indian trans-Himalayan cold desert, was identified on the basis of morpho-anatomical characters. Extracts of this alga were made using solvents of varying polarity viz. n-hexane, acetonitrile, methanol and water. The antioxidant capacities and phenolic profile of the extracts were estimated. The methanol extract showing highest antioxidant capacity and rich phenolic attributes was further investigated and phytochemical profiling was conducted by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) hyphenated technique. The cytotoxic activity of methanol extract was evaluated on human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and colon carcinoma RKO cell lines. The anti-hypoxic effect of methanol extract of the alga was tested on in vivo animal system to confirm its potential to ameliorate oxidative stress. The antioxidant assays viz. ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2''-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging capacities, β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching property and lipid peroxidation exhibited analogous results, wherein the algal extracts showed significantly high antioxidant potential. The extracts were also found to possess high content of total proanthocyanidin, flavonoid and polyphenol. GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of thirteen chemotypes in the methanol extract representing different phytochemical groups like fatty acid esters, sterols, unsaturated alcohols, alkynes etc. with substantial phyto-pharmaceutical importance. The methanol extract was observed to possess anticancer activity as revealed from studies on HepG2 and RKO cell lines. In the present study, S. porticalis methanol extract also provided protection from hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and accelerated the onset of adaptative changes in rats during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. The bioactive phytochemicals present in this trans-Himalayan alga are of enormous interest and can be utilized sustainably for discovery of novel drugs against oxidative stress.     

In-vitro antioxidant,antimutagenic and cancer cell growth inhibition activities of Rhododendron arboreum leaves and flowers

In the current investigation, the active principles of the methanol extracts of Rhododendron arboreum leaves (MEL) and flowers (MEF) were investigated with the help of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), amino acid analyzer and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). UHPLC revealed different polyphenols present in the extracts. GC-MS identified 20 phytochemicals in leaves and 17 in the flowers, whereas, amino acid analyzer confirmed 11 amino acids in leaves and 10 in the flowers. The extracts were subjected to the investigation of biological activity through analysis of antioxidant activity in different in vitro assays, antimutagenic activity in Ames assay and cancer cell growth inhibition activity by MTT (3-4,5 dimethylthiazol-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. MEL showed higher antioxidant activity in lipid peroxidation inhibition assay (95.32 ± 0.37%) than MEF (77.09 ± 4.17%) with IC₅₀103.6 µg/ml for MEL and 271.17 µg/ml for MEF. In nitric oxide scavenging assay, an activity of 94.46 ± 0.32% (IC₅₀ 150.13) was observed in MEF followed by 83.71 ± 0.74% (IC₅₀ 179.52) in MEL. The antimutagenic activity of both the extracts was evaluated against sodium azide, 4-nitro-O-phenylenediamine and 2-aminofluorene mutagens in TA-98 and TA-100 strains of Salmonella typhimurium. The analysis was carried out using pre- and co-incubation modes. However, both extracts were observed to possess considerable antimutagenic activity against different known mutagens, flowers came out to be more effective than the leaves in terms of % inhibition. The extracts also exhibited significant cancer cell growth inhibition activity, when tested against 3 cancer cell lines namely, Human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), Breast cancer cell line (MCF7) and Lung cancer cell line (A549). In case of HeLa and A549, MEL showed higher activity of 64.62 ± 2.65 and 75.08 ± 1.68% as compared to 53.11 ± 2.84 and 45.92 ± 2.43% in MEL, respectively. The EC₅₀ values for MEL in HeLa and A549 were noted to be 232.76 and 155.38 µg/ml, respectively, whereas, MEF had EC₅₀ of 395.50 µg/ml in HeLa and 660.26 µg/ml in A549. Further, MEF showed higher cytotoxicity in MCF7 cell line (84.93 ± 1.17%) followed by the MEL (73.57 ± 1.27%) with EC₅₀ value of 95.16 µg/ml for MEF followed by 172.19 µg/ml for MEL. The biological activities of the extracts can be attributed to the phyto-constituents identified by sophisticated instruments.The biological activities of the extracts can be attributed to the active principles identified by sophisticated instruments.     

Pharmacological properties and preliminary phytochemical analysis of Pseudocaryopteris foetida (D.Don) P.D. Cantino leaves

Medicinal plants have significant contribution in pharmaceutical industries being producers of compounds utilized as precursors for drug development. A plant of Lamiaceae family; Pseudocaryopteris foetida had not been investigated for its biomedical potential. Current research was aimed to investigate phytochemical analysis, cytotoxic potential and antioxidant activity of crude methanolic extract and fractions of Pseudocaryopteris foetida (leaves). The preliminary phytochemical analysis of crude methanolic extracts and fractions of Pseudocaryopteris foetida revealed that plant is rich in phenolic and flavonoid classes of secondary metabolites while presence of tannin was observed only in crude methanolic extract. The cytotoxicity was determined using brine shrimp lethality test. Different concentrations (25, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 µg/mL) of crude methanolic extract and fractions exhibited dose dependent cytotoxicity. However, The LD₅₀ for all the extracts was more than 200 µg/mL indicating weak cytotoxic potential of Pseudocaryopteris foetida. The antioxidant capabilities of crude methanolic extract and fraction of Pseudocaryopteris foetida were analyzed by in vitro bio assays including DPPH, ABTS, Reducing power and phosphomolybdate antioxidant assays using ascorbic acid as standard. The crude methanolic extract showed IC₅₀ (256.38 ± 0.6 and 314.95 ± 1.1 µg/mL) for DPPH and ABTS respectively, while total antioxidant capacity was calculated as 55.79 ± 0.5 µg/mL for crude methanolic extract of Pseudocaryopteris foetida while ascorbic acid indicated total antioxidant capacity of 71.89 ± 2.3 µg/mL. Study concluded that leaves of Pseudocaryopteris foetida were the rich source of antioxidant phytochemicals. Based on preliminary investigations further research should be focused to isolate bioactive phytochemicals as leading source of clinical medicines in future.     

In vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of polyherbal extracts from Vetiveria zizanioides,Trichosanthes cucumerina,and Mollugo cerviana on HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines

Various metabolites exist in the medicinal plants have lot of potential to cure various diseases and disorders. Plants such as, Vetiveria zizanioides, Trichosanthes cucumerina, and Mollugo cerviana were collected from Western Ghats, Tamilnadu, India. Phytochemicals were extracted from these plants using various organic solvents and tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The phytochemicals such as, carbohydrate, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, flavonoids and tannin were detected from these medicinal plants. Among the extracts, methanol showed potent activity and this solvent was used to extract polyherbal medicinal plants. Methanol extract of V. zizanioides was found to be highly active against E. coli (27 ± 2 mm), P. mirabilis (19 ± 3 mm) and B. subtilis (18 ± 2 mm). Ethyl acetate extract showed high activity against E. coli (24 ± 2 mm), P. mirabilis (22 ± 3 mm) and B. subtilis (20 ± 1 mm). These three plants were taken at 1:1:1 ratio and extracted with methanol at 1:10 ratio and synergistic activity was tested against bacterial pathogens. Synergistic activity of polyherbal extract was analyzed. The extracted crude herbal medicine was found to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Enterbacter sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Proteus mirabilis. The zone of inhibition was 33 ± 3 mm, 17 ± 2 mm, 22 ± 2 mm, 40 ± 2 mm, 33 ± 1 mm and 38 ± 2 mm zone of inhibition against E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, B. subtilis and Enterobacter sp. Polyherbal extract was found to be highly effective against P. mirabilis and Enterobacter sp. MIC values of polyherbal extract ranged from 29 ± 2.5 µg/ml to 34 ± 2.5 µg/ml. MIC value was found to be less against P. mirabilis and was high against S. aureus. Antioxidant property varied between 49 ± 3% and 95.3 ± 2%. At 20 µg/ml antioxidant activity was reported as 49 ± 3% and it was increased at higher concentrations of polyherbal extract. Two cell lines (HeLa and MCF cell lines) were selected to analyze cytotoxic activity of polyherbal extract. The methanol extract of polyherbal fraction showed cytotoxicity against these two cell lines. The LC50 value was 467 ± 2.9 µg/ml against HeLa cell line and >800 µg/ml against MCF-7 cell lines. The polyherbal extract showed antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activities.     

In Vitro Antibacterial and Antioxidant Studies of Croton roxburghii L., from Similipal Biosphere Reserve

In vitro antibacterial activities of acetone, ethanol, methanol and water extracts of leaves and bark of Croton roxburghii L. studied against ten human pathogenic bacterial strains showed significantly higher activity in acetone extract and least activity in case of aqueous. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of all extracts ranged between 0.62 and 10 mg/ml, while minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values ranged from 1.25 to values greater than 10 mg/ml. The antioxidant assays viz. DPPH, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, iron reducing and iron chelating assays along with total phenol and ascorbic acid content were carried out with aqueous extracts of leaves and bark. While the total phenol contents in leaves and bark extracts were 0.766 ± 0.014 and 0.735 ± 0.028% respectively their ascorbic acid contents were found to be 0.252 ± 0.019 and 0.431 ± 0.013% respectively. DPPH activities in both (leaves and bark) extracts increased with the increase in concentrations. Iron chelating capacity of leaves extract is significantly higher than that of the bark. Leaves extract showed an increase in percentage of scavenging property with the increase in concentrations. Plant extracts showed low amount of iron reducing property at all concentrations. Hydrogen peroxide scavenging properties of bark was low than that of the leaves.     

Determination of antimicrobial and phytochemical compounds of Jatropha curcas plant

The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of different parts of J. curcas plant against some selected human pathogens as antimicrobial agent which are known to cause diseases and to check antioxidant and phytochemicals from different plant sections of J. curcas. Plant extracts were analyzed by quantification of antimicrobial and phytochemical compounds. This study reveals that 20% ethanol stem extract of J. curcas showed maximum antibacterial activity (40 ± 0.0 mm) against Klebsiella pneumonia. Water extract of root of J. curcas also inhibited E. coli (35.25 ± 0.35 mm). The growth of K. pneumonia and Agrobacterium tumifaciens were also ceased when ethanol extract of J. curcas root applied to check their potential as antimicrobial agent. The results also revealed that fungal species, Aspergillus niger, and Pencillium notatum noted the maximum antifungal activity in ethanol extract of flower and methanol extract of root (38.5 ± 0.7 mm) and (27.25 ± 0.35 mm) respectively. Phytochemicals and many secondary metabolites were present in J. curcas extracts such as alkaloids, steroids, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, courmerin, and phenolic compounds. It also showed the highest density of color in the different parts of plant extract of J. curcas. Similarly, biochemical primary metabolites were observed at maximum amount of biochemical in different parts of J. curcas, and correlated with antimicrobial activity. The study concluded that J. curcas has great potential as antibacterial agent and cure various human pathogens.     

Phytochemical profiling of Azima tetracantha Lam. leaf methanol extract and elucidation of its potential as a chain-breaking antioxidant,anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agent

Azima tetracantha, a traditional medicinal plant included in the order Brassicales and family Salvadoraceae, is widely used as a dietary supplement in folklore medicines. The plant is also used for the treatment of rheumatism, diarrhea and other inflammatory disorders. The present investigation focused on the phytochemical composition, radical scavenging, reducing potential and anti-proliferative activities of the A. tetracantha leaves. Quantitative estimation of the polyphenols and flavonoids revealed significantly elevated levels in the methanol extract. Corroborating with this, methanol extract exhibited higher in vitro anti-radical scavenging effect against 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (34.14 ± 2.19 μg/mL), and hydrogen peroxide (44.96 ± 1.77 μg/mL), as well as ferric reducing properties (58.24 ± 6.98 μg/mL). The methanolic extract also showed strong lipoxygenase (71.42 ± 6.36 μg/mL) and nitric oxide inhibitory activities (94.23 ± 8.11 μg/mL). Cytotoxic activity against MCF7 cells was found to be higher (IC50= 37.62 ± 2.94 μg/mL), than that of MDAMB231 cells (IC50= 69.11 ± 5.02 μg/mL). The qPCR-based analysis indicated dose-dependent increase in the expression of the pro-apoptotic genes such as executioner caspases and apoptotic protease activating factor-1. Overall, the results indicated the possible use of methanol extract of A. tetracantha leaves as a chain-breaking antioxidant molecule and are capable of inhibiting inflammatory enzymes and the proliferative potential of breast cancer cells.     

Solvent based optimization for extraction and stability of thymoquinone from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nigella sativa</Emphasis> Linn. and its quantification using RP-HPLC

The Nigella sativa pharmacological properties are mainly ascribed to its volatile oil, of which thymoquinone is an important bioactive component. Surprisingly, till date, no standard formulation or thymoquinone rich N. sativa extract is under clinical use probably due to its poor extraction and lesser stability in the already used solvents. In the present investigation solubility, extraction, percent composition and total antioxidant activity from the seeds of N. sativa was explored using five solvents. An HPLC method was standardized in an isocratic system (C-18 column, flow rate of 1.0 ml/min, mobile phase—water:methanol: 30:70, detection wavelength—254 nm, retention time—8.77 min) for quantification of thymoquinone. To further confirm the presence of thymoquinone in the respective extracts absorbance spectra analysis has been carried out and compared with pure thymoquinone. Additionally total antioxidant activity of Nigella sativa extracts has been evaluated using ascorbic acid as standard. Our results showed maximum percentage yield in aqueous extract while methanol having the least yield and the ethanol, benzene and hexane extracts exhibited moderate yields. A linear standard calibration curve of thymoquinone showed R² as 0.999 and % RSD as 7.166. The HPLC analysis revealed maximum percentage composition of thymoquinone in the benzene extract, whereas in the hexane and methanol extracts the content was less. Aqueous and ethanol extracts displayed insignificant thymoquinone content. Absorbance spectra analysis confirms the presence of thymoquinone peak in the benzene, hexane and methanol extracts while aqueous and ethanol extracts showed minimal absorbance. Maximum total antioxidant activity was observed in the aqueous extract while minimum was observed in the methanolic extract. Weak positive (+?0.3676) correlation was established between percent composition of thymoquinone and antioxidant activity among different extracts indicating that thymoquinone may not be the only factor for antioxidant activity, but other phytochemicals might also contribute. However, we for the first time demonstrated that the benzene extract of N. sativa has better solubility and percent composition of thymoquinone as compared to other solvents. It can be concluded that the solubility, differential composition of bioactive components among these extracts may have diverse effects on the total antiradical activity. Thus, our study provides insights on optimization and standardization of bioactive rich formulation of N. sativa.     

Comparative assessment of biological activities of different parts of halophytic plant Tamarix articulata (T. articulata) growing in Saudi Arabia

Owing to extremely high salinity and harsh environmental conditions, T. articulata is one of the most abundant wild plants growing in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Such plants may contain novel compounds to display promising biological activities. Here, in this study, we evaluate the biological activities of methanolic extracts of fresh leaves, dry leaves, stem, and roots of T. articulata. The antioxidant activity was determined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and total phenolic and flavonoid content were determined using standard colorimetric methods. Whereas antimicrobial and ant-proliferative activities were determined by standard well-diffusion and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) methods, respectively. Our results demonstrate that all methanolic extracts of T. articulata showed antioxidant activity, however, the methanolic extract of dry leaves exhibits promising antioxidant effect with IC₅₀ value 49.08 ± 1.98, which was strongly supported by total phenolic (409.92 ± 6.03 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoid (177.71 mg QE/g DW) content. Although, antimicrobial activity was also exhibited by all the methanolic extracts, however, methanolic extract of dry leaves exhibits promising antimicrobial activity in Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus epidemidis. Furthermore, MTT assay revealed that all methanolic extracts exhibit antiproliferative activity in MCF-7 (breast cancer) and RKO (colorectal cancer) cells with IC₅₀ values ranges from 219 ± 5.112 µg/ml to 253 ± 5.231 µg/ml and 220 ± 4.330 µg/ml to 325 ± 6.213 µg/ml, respectively. However, the most promising antiproliferative effect was displayed by methanolic extract of dry leaves with IC₅₀ values 219 ± 5.112 µg/ml and 220 ± 4.330 µg/ml, respectively. In summary, these findings provide evidence that T. articulata has promising biological activities and can be used for many pharmaceutical activities in the future.     

Identification of phytochemical components from Aerva lanata (Linn.) medicinal plants and its in-vitro inhibitory activity against drug resistant microbial pathogens and antioxidant properties

This study aimed to determine the phytochemical components, microbial inhibitory effectiveness and antioxidant properties of Aerva lanata plant extracts. The whole plant showed various medicinal applications in folklore and traditional medicine in various parts of the world. The organic extracts such as ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, acetone, water and methanol were subjected for various phytochemical analysis and confirmed for the existence of flavonoids, glycosides, terpenoids and alkaloid containing components. Alternatively, the extracts were performed for the antibacterial activities against the microbial pathogens and antioxidant properties. Results indicated that, the solvent extracts showed prominent activity against the tested strains. The MIC concentrations of plant were detected from 5 mg/ml to 40 mg/ml. The plant extract was highly effective against E. coli and E. aerogenes and the MIC was 5 mg/ml. In addition, the extracts noted promising antioxidant activities. The antioxidant activities were dose dependent manner. In conclusion, A. lanata extracts showed that significant major phytochemicals and effective antioxidant and anti-microbial properties.     

GC/MS and LC/MS analysis,and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of various solvent extracts from Mirabilis jalapa tubers

The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of various solvent extracts from Mirabilis jalapa tubers (MJT) were investigated using various in vitro assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents varied from 21.45 to 364.6 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dried extract and 5.2 to 71.6 mg quercetin/g dried extract, respectively. Water extract of MJT was the most potent antioxidant in all assays used, followed by methanol extract. The five solvent extracts were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Water extract was the most effective with minimum inhibitory concentration <200 μg/ml against Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus and Enterococcus faecalis. Only water extract showed antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Fusarium solani, Fusarium oxysporium and Fusarium granularium. GC/MS analysis of MJT dichloromethane and methanol extracts showed that oleic acid and β-sitosterol were, respectively, the major compounds. LC/MS analysis of the aqueous extract showed a high content of flavanol and flavonol compounds. Phenolic acids such as ferulic and caffeic acid were also detected.To our knowledge, this is the first report on the chemical composition, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of phenolic extracts from M. jalapa tubers (MJT). The results of the present work indicate that MJT extracts could be used as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents in the food preservation and human health.     

Control of Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistant isolated from auricular infections using aqueous and methanolic extracts of Ephedra alata

In the current study the potential use of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Ephedra alata aerial parts as biological control agent against pathogenic bacteria and especially Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistant isolated from auricular infections was evaluated. Chemical tests and spectrophotometric methods were used for screening and quantification of phytochemicals. The assessment of the antioxidant activity was accomplished by DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging assays. Extracts were evaluated for their antibacterial efficacy by diffusion and microdilution methods. Biofilm inhibition was tested using XTT assay and the cytotoxicity of extracts was carried out on Vero cell line. The GC-FID analysis revealed that E. alata was rich in unsatured fatty acids. In addition, the aqueous extract had the highest flavonoid and protein contents (30.82 mg QE /g dry extract and 98.92 mg BSAE/g dry extract respectively). However, the methanolic extract had the highest phenolic, sugars and tannins. The antioxidant activity demonstrated that the aqueous extract exhibited the strong potency (IC50 ranged between 0.001 and 0.002 mg/mL).Both extracts displayed antimicrobial activity on Gram negative and positive strains. They were effective against S. aureus isolated from auricular infections. The tested extracts were able to inhibit biofilm formation with concentration-dependent manner.Moreover, no cytotoxic effect on Vero cells line was demonstrated for the extracts. Overall, our findings highlight the potential use of E. alata extract as a novel source of bioactive molecules with antioxidant, antibacterial and antiobiofilm effects for the control of infectious disease especially those associated to S. aureus methicillin resistant.     

Preliminary screening of antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of green seaweed,Halimeda opuntia (Linnaeus) Lamouroux

Marine natural products have displayed numerous advantageous effects on biological activities, including antioxidants and cytotoxicity. The total lipids, carotenoids, chlorophyll a and b content, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity of methanolic crude extract of the green seaweed Halimeda opuntia were all measured in this study. The TPC of the extracts was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, yielding a result of 55.04 ± 0.98 mg GAE/g of extract. As determined by the aluminium chloride colorimetric method, the TFC of the extract was 40.02 ± 0.02 mg QE/g of extract. Antioxidant activity was determined by using a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay with different concentrations that ranged between 200 and 1000 µg/mL, noted H. opuntia as the highest in DPPH reduction (63.61 %) at 1000 µg/mL concentration. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the extract was 57.36 ± 0.004 mg AAE/g extract at concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. The cytotoxic activity of this seaweed was pre-screened against a panel of cell lines including estrogen receptor-positive human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), estrogen negative human breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231), human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29), human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), and mouse embryonic fibroblast (3T3) using the MTT assay. The content of total lipids in H. opuntia was 1.60 ± 0.002 %. Total carotenoids were 115.57 ± 0.98 µg/g, while chlorophyll a and b were 148.73 ± 2.60 µg/g and 290.83 ± 9.46 µg/g, respectively. In terms of cytotoxicity activity, methanolic extract of H. opuntia was found to be highly cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells, with an IC₅₀ of 25.14 ± 1.02 g/mL, and slightly less so to 3T3 cells (IC₅₀ 65.23 ± 0.25 µg/mL). This study's findings suggest that natural pigments (carotenoids and chlorophyll), phytochemicals like phenolic and flavonoid compounds found in this species may play an important role and could be used as a natural cancer treatment.     

Cytotoxic effects of stem bark extracts and pure compounds from Margaritaria discoidea on human ovarian cancer cell lines

Margaritaria discoidea (Baill.) G. L. Webster (Euphorbiaceae) is a well-known medicinal plant in Africa used for the treatment of various diseases. So far, no cytotoxic effects of plant extracts on cancer cell lines have been reported.Aim of the studyTo evaluate the cytotoxicity against human ovarian cancer cells of extracts of M. discoidea and characterize the major bioactive compounds.MethodsBoth organic and aqueous extracts of this plant were obtained by maceration. The sulforhodamine B cell proliferation assay was used for evaluation of their cytotoxic activities and the potential bioactive compounds were characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.ResultsThe organic extract of M. discoidea showed stronger cytotoxicity than the aqueous extract with IC₅₀ values of 14.4 ± 3.0, 14.2 ± 1.2 and 34.7 ± 0.5 µg/ml on OVCAR-8, A2780 and cisplatin-resistant A2780cis ovarian cancer cells, respectively. The organic extract was further subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation by partitioning with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol in water. The ethyl acetate fraction was the most potent on the three ovarian cancer cell lines. A GC–MS analysis of trimethylsilyl derivatives of this fraction indicated the presence of phenolic compounds such as gallic acid and the alkaloid securinine. The IC₅₀ values of these two compounds were determined to be in the range of 3–16 µM, which indicated that they could contribute to the cytotoxic activity of the extract of M. discoidea.ConclusionsThis study has evaluated the cytotoxicity of stem bark extracts of M. discoidea against ovarian cancer cells and provided a basis of further development of this plant for the treatment of ovarian cancer.     

Phyto-constituents profiling of Luffa echinata and in vitro assessment of antioxidant,anti-diabetic,anticancer and anti-acetylcholine esterase activities

Luffa echinata Roxb. is one of the neglected medicinal plants. It is an important source of bioactive metabolites and used in several Ayurvedic formulations. In the present analysis, mature leaves and fruits were extracted with acetone, ethanol, acetonitrile, methanol and water. Phytochemicals like total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), tannin (TTC), alkaloid (TAC) and terpenoid (TTEC) content were analysed. Further, antioxidant (AOX) activities like 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethyl) benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging, metal chelating activity (MC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and phosphomolybdenum assay (PMA) were studied. Highest TPC and TFC (189.57 ± 1.9 mg TAE/g extract, 30.48 ± 0.7 mg CE/g extract, respectively) were reported from acetone extract of the leaves. Ethanolic fruit extract showed the highest TTC (13.79 ± 0.2 mg CE/g extract). Acetone and acetonitrile fruit extract revealed maximum TTEC (602.79 ± 3.5 mg UAE/g extract) and moderate TAC (19.96 ± 0.9 mg GE/g extract), respectively. In AOX, highest DPPH (50.52 ± 0.03 mg AAE/g extract) and ABTS (26.78 ± 0.03 mg TE/g extract) radical scavenging reported in methanolic extract of fruit; however, acetone extract of leaf showed highest FRAP (376.89 ± 1.95 mg Fe(II)/g extract) and PMA (326.54 ± 4.73 mg AAE/g extract). In contrast, aqueous extract of leaf and fruit revealed highest metal chelating activity (41.67 ± 0.49 mg EDTA/g extract). In anti-diabetic studies, acetonitrile extract of leaves and fruits exhibited appreciable inhibition of α-amylase (83.33%) and α-glycosidase (77.42%) enzymes. Similarly, acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibition was highest in water (88.91%) and acetone (81.87%) extracts of leaf and fruits. Fruit extracts showed potent anticancer activity against breast (MCF-7) and colon (HT-29) cancer cell lines (LC₅₀ 329.36 and 385.17 µg/mL, respectively). RP-HPLC analysis revealed highest cucurbitacin B (CuB) (196.24 ± 1.4 mg/g DW), followed by cucurbitacin I (CuI) and cucurbitacin E (CuE) in the fruits (57.14 ± 4.9 and 2.03 ± 0.03 mg/g DW, respectively). RP-HPLC analysis of extracts revealed presence of gallic acid (GA), catechin (CA), vanillic acid (VA), chlorogenic acid (CHLA) and coumaric acid (COA), in which highest GA found in the fruits (1.26 ± 0.07 mg/g DW). Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis revealed presence of bioactive compounds from various groups. Based on the present findings, it was revealed that the fruit and leaf of L. echinata can be used as potent bioresource for natural antioxidants, anti-diabetic, and anticancer drug.     

In-vitro phytochemical and pharmacological bio-efficacy studies on Azadirachta indica A. Juss and Melia azedarach Linn for anticancer activity

In this study, phyto-constituents, anti-bacterial and anticancer activity of Azadirachta indica A. Juss and Melia azedarach Linn was analyzed. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) fingerprint profile of methanol extract of A. indica and M. azedarach was carried out. The present findings showed the presence of phytochemicals such as, steroids, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, anthraquinone and aminoacids in A. indica and M. azedarach extracts. HPLC profiling of methanolic extract of A. indica and M. azaderach revealed eleven and ten fractions of compounds were visualized in the form of peak. In TLC methanolic extract of A. indica was separated by eight distinct phenolic and three steroidal bands and M. azaderach showed sixteen distinct phenolic and three different steroidal bands. In antibacterial activity, Among the various extracts 50 µg/ml methanolic extracts of A. indica showed high activity against K. pneumoniae (14 mm) and M. azedarach showed high activity against S. aureus (15 mm). The results suggest that the crude methanolic extracts of A. indica and M. azedarach possess significant phytochemical properties compared to other extracts and hence the phytochemicals of M. azedarach and A. indica can be exploited for plant based anticancer and antimicrobial agents in the near future.     

Analysis of antibacterial and cytotoxic potential of medicinal plants from Cholistan desert,Pakistan

This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial and cytotoxic activity of 03 medicinal plants, Calligonum polygonides, Farsetia hamiltonii, and Pulcaria crispa, from Cholistan desert, Pakistan. The active constituents of plants species were extracted in 05 different solvents and the extracts were tested against various bacterial strains and brine shrimps. Although all Calligonum polygonides’s extracts except chloroform were active against Staphylococcus aureus the most active was the acetone extract (21 ± 0.00 mm at 200 μg/disc) and activity was better than Caricef (p-value 0.03). While its water extract was more potent (18 ± 1.45 mm at 200 μg/disc) than Augmentin and Caricef (p-value < 0.005). The methanol extract’s activity (15 ± 0.39 mm in 200 μg/disc) was comparable to Fucidin against Proteus vulgaris (p-value > 0.99) and activity of diethyl ether extract against Escherichia coli (10 ± 1.16 mm in 200 μg/disc) was same as of Urixin (p-value 0.91). Farsetia hamiltonii’s acetone extract against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 ± 0.15 mm in 1 μg/disc) was more active than Augmentin Caricef and Cefotax (p-value < 0.02) and against Staphylococcus aureus (15 ± 1.15 mm in 200 μg/disc) activity was higher than Caricef (p-value 0.03). All Pulicaria crispa’s extracts except water extract were found active against Staphylococcus aureus. However, the diethyl ether extract was most effective (25 + 0.00 mm at 150 μg /disc) and activity was more than Augmentin, Oxy-tetracycline, Fucidin, Urixin, Ceftriaxone (p-value < 0.05). Although all extracts were exhibited cytotoxic activity, the Calligonum polygonides’s acetone extract (100%), Farsetia hamiltonii’s diethyl ether extract (90%) and Pulicaria crispa’s methanol extract (100%) were most active at 1000 μg/ml concentration. This study validated the medicinal significance of the studied plants and thus opens the way for their therapeutic applications.     

Phytogenic compounds from avocado (Persea americana L.) extracts; antioxidant activity,amylase inhibitory activity,therapeutic potential of type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is a worldwide public health disease. Currently, the most effective way to treat diabetes is to mitigate postprandial hyperglycemia by inhibiting carbohydrate hydrolysis enzymes in the digestive system. Plant extracts are rich in bioactive compounds, which can be used in diabetes treatment. This study aims to evaluate the polyphenols content in ethanolic extracts of avocado fruit and leaves (Persea americana Mill.). Additionally, their antioxidant activity using DPPH, while the inhibition ability of α-amylase was examined by reacting different amounts of the extracts with α-amylase compared to acarbose as standard inhibitor. The active compounds were detected in the extracts by LC/MS. The obtained results showed that the leaf extract recorded a significant content of total phenolic compounds compared to the fruit extract (178.95 and 145.7 mg GAE /g dry weight, respectively). The total flavonoid values ??ranged from 32.5 to 70.08 mg QE/g dry weight of fruit and leaves extracts, respectively. Twenty-six phytogenic compounds were detected in leaf and fruit extract by LC/MS. These compounds belong to fatty acids, sterols, triterpenes, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. The antioxidant activity of the extracts is due to the exist of phytogenic compounds, i.e., polyphenols and flavonoids. The antioxidant activity increased in a concentration dependant manner. Avocado fruit extract (1000 µg/mL) scavenged 95% of DPP? while leaf extract rummaged 91.03% of free radicals compared with Vit C and BHT. Additionally, higher α-amylase inhibitory activity was observed in fruit extract than the leaf extract, where the fruit and leaf extract (1000 μg/ml) inhibited the enzyme by 92.13% and 88.95%, respectively. The obtained results showed that the ethanolic extracts of avocado could have a significant impact on human health due to their high content of polyphenols.