An Overview of Phytochemical and Biological Activities: Ficus deltoidea Jack and Other Ficus spp.

∙) scavenging capacity of the methanol and aqueous extracts increased in a dose dependent manner (up to 0.1 mg/ ml) and plant leaves extract concentrations required for 50% inhibition of DPPH radical scavenging effect (IC50) were recorded as 0.014 and 0.015 mg/ml for methanol and aqueous extracts, respectively. The leaf extracts also scavenged the ABTS .+ radical generated by 2,2'-Azinobis-(3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS)/2.4 mM potassium persulfate (PPS) system and the IC50 values were found to be 0.017 and 0.018 mg/ml for methanol and aqueous extracts, respectively. The total antioxidant power of the extract was determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Qualitative analysis of the phytochemicals of aqueous extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, proteins, phenols and flavonoids. The methanol extract was found to contain phenols and flavonoids as major phyto-components. Total polyphenol and phenolic acid contents in the methanol extract were found to be 269.85 ± 15.25 and 410.72 ± 9.48 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight, respectively. Total flavonoid and flavonol contents were estimated to be 82.28 ± 3.21 and 151.25 ± 8.75 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g dry weight, respectively. Total polyphenol and phenolic acid contents in the aqueous extract were found to be 157.05 ± 11.21 and 490.50 ± 10.20 mg GAE/g dry weight, respectively. Total flavonoid and flavonol contents in the aqueous extract were estimated to be 95.80 ± 3.12 and 162.72 ± 9.18 mg QE/g dry weight, respectively. The methanol and aqueous leaf extracts indicated presence of vital phytoconstituents of polyphenols, flavonoids, flavonols that contributed significantly to its antioxidant capacity. Results obtained from the present study signify that the methanol and aqueous leaf extracts of H. rhamnoides possess antioxidant properties and could possibly act as primary antioxidants by scavenging free radicals in disease conditions.

Purpose: To standardise the methanol and aqueous extracts of Ficus deltoidea leaf by developing a reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for determination of the ursolic acid content and to investigate their antiangiogenic activity.Methods: To prepare the water extract (FD-A), the powder of the plant was extracted with water under reflux for 24 h at 50 ˚C. The methanol extract (FD-M) was prepared using Soxhlet extractor for 24 h at 50 ˚C. The extracts were standardised for ursolic acid content by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), as well as by total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Antiangiogenic activity was studied using ex vivo rat aortic rings and in vivo chick chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis models. The anti-proliferative effect of the extracts against normal human endothelial cells and two cancer cell lines was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Results: In rat aortic rings, methanol and water extracts inhibited the outgrowth of microvessels with IC50 values of 48.2 ± 1.1 and 62.7 ± 1.4 μg ml-1, respectively. Methanol and water extracts at doses of 100 μg disc-1 also inhibited vascularisation of chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane with inhibition values of of 62.0 ± 6.3 and 43.3 ± 4.8 %, respectively. In addition, both extracts showed potent cytotoxicity against breast and colon cancer cells while demonstrating non-cytotoxic activity against normal endothelial cells. Furthermore, the two extracts showed relatively high concentration of ursolic acid, total phenolics and flavonoids associated with potent antiangiogenic activity.Conclusion: The inhibition of angiogenesis by F. deltoidea extracts may be attributed to the relatively high ursolic acid content as well as the presence of antioxidant compounds of phenolics and flavonoids in the extracts.Keywords: Ficus deltoidea, Antiangiogenesis, Ursolic acid, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant

Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae) is frequently used in traditional medicine to treat many illnesses from ancient times. Its beneficial effects include antibacterial, antioedematogenic, and analgesic activities. This study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of organic and aqueous extracts of the leaves, the flowers, the stems, and the roots of Marrubium vulgare. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as the antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory effects of methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts have been investigated by using different in-vitro methods. It was found that the ethyl acetate extract from Marrubium vulgare stems had the highest total phenolic content, while the ethyl acetate extract from the leaves yielded a high concentration of flavonoids. The ethyl acetate extract from the stems exhibited the highest activity in scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), as well as in protecting erythrocytes. The leaves aqueous extract exhibited the highest ferrous chelating activity and its methanolic extract was found to be the strongest inhibitor of lipid peroxidation in β-carotene bleaching assay. The leaves chloroform extracts as well as the flowers methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts were found to decrease the pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) cytokine levels in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, the flowers methanolic extract and the leaves methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts decreased the interleukin-1 beta (IL- 1β) release. It was also found that the methanol extract from the flowers and the chloroform extract from the stems of Marrubium vulgare inhibited interleukin-8 (IL-8) release. This study provides a scientific basis for the traditional use of Marrubium vulgare as an anti-inflammatory agent and for the plant to be considered as an important resource of natural antioxidants.

Objective: To investigate the presence of phytochemical components and to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity of pet. ether, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Grewia heterotricha mast leaves.Methods: The leaves of Grewia heterotricha mast were dried and extracts were prepared using a pet. ether, chloroform, methanol by soxhlet extraction method. The aqueous extract was prepared using distilled water by cold extraction method. The preliminary phytochemical analysis was carried out on aqueous, methanol, chloroform and pet. either leaf extracts of the plant using standard qualitative procedures. The total phenolic content (TPC) was estimated using modified Folin-Ciocalteau method, tannin content by Folin-Denis method and total flavonoids by aluminum chloride method. In vitro, antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, H2O2 scavenging activity and FRAP assay.Results: The preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of complex bioactive constituents like phenols, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, glycosides, coumarins, proteins and carbohydrates. Methanolic extract showed highest total phenolic content (87.58±2.52 mg CE/g) than aqueous extract (78.46±5.36 mg CE/g). Higher tannin content was found in the aqueous extract (148.0±8.96 mg TAE/g). Total flavonoids were highest in chloroform extract (314.9±25.06 mg QE/g) followed by aqueous (242.98±32.42 mg QE/g) and methanolic extract (217.0±18.32 mg QE/g) and lowest in a pet. ether extract (188.86±23.35 mg QE/g). The methanolic extract had shown very significant DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 98.95 µg/ml) and H2O2 scavenging activity (IC50110.1µg/ml) compared to the standard ascorbic acid. Higher reducing ability was observed in methanol extract (131.8±11.67 mg AE/g).Conclusion: The results obtained reveal that the leaves of Grewia heterotricha mast have potent antioxidant property. The observed activity may be associated with bioactive components like phenolics, flavonoids present in the leaf extracts and could have greater importance as therapeutic agents in oxidative stress-related degenerative diseases. Further studies are needed in order to purify bioactive compounds responsible for the antioxidant property.

Barleria albostellata C.B. Clarke (Acanthaceae) is a plant native to South Africa and relatively few studies have been performed on it. Species in this genus are known for their ethnopharmacological and phyto-medicinal values. In this study, the total flavonoid and phenolic contents and the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of hexane, chloroform, and methanol extracts were evaluated at five different concentrations (15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 μg/mL). The antioxidant activity of the extracts of B. albostellata was assessed in vitro using the 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, while the phenolic content was determined using a Folin–Ciocalteu assay. The extracts’ cytotoxicity was established using a 3-[(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay in human embryonic kidney (HEK293), cervical cancer (HeLa), and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines. Methanolic leaf extracts had the highest total flavonoid content (42.39 ± 1.14 mg GAE/g DW) compared to other solvents. Additionally, the total phenolic content was the greatest in the methanol leaf extract (6.05 ± 0.09 GAE/g DW), followed by the methanol stem extracts (2.93 ± 0.73 GAE/g DW). The methanolic leaf and stem extract concentrations needed for 50% inhibition (DPPH) were 16.95 µg/mL and 14.27 µg/mL, respectively, whereas for FRAP, the reducing powers of all extracts were considerably lower than the ascorbic acid standard. The IC50 values of extracts tested in the three cell lines were >63 µg/mL. According to the findings of our study, the leaves and stems of B. albostellata are rich in several bioactive compounds that may be a possible source of natural antioxidants and may have the potential to treat certain diseases. The extraction of the bioactive compounds from the leaves and stems of B. albostellata using bioassay-guided fractionation and the assessment of their safety will be essential for further investigations into this species in the search of potential novel therapeutic drug leads. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the cytotoxic activities of leaf and stem extracts of Barleria albostellata.

The main aim of this study was to determine Total Phenolic Content, Total Flavonoid Content, terpenoid content, steroid content and analyze the antioxidant activity of different leaf extracts of Entada rheedii. Correlation between antioxidant activities and total phenolic content, total flavonoids content, terpenoid content and steroid content were also analyzed. The total phenolic content in E. rheedii hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous leaf extracts were found to be 10.16 mg GAE/g, 24.73 mg GAE/g, 26.11 mg GAE/g, and 24.85 mg GAE/g sample dry weight respectively. The Total flavonoid content of E. rheedii hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous leaf extracts was found to be 8.433 mg QE/g, 8.730 mg QE/g, 8.607 mg QE/g, and 8.545 mg QE/g respectively. Hexane extract showed the highest steroid content at 32.75 g/mL, followed by ethyl acetate extract at 31.37 g/mL. The methanol extract and aqueous extract had the lowest steroid content at 22.2 g/mL and 21.21 g/mL, respectively. Terpenoid content was the highest in hexane extract with 62 mg/100 mg of dry extract, followed by the ethyl acetate extract with 45 mg/100 mg dry extract. The total content of terpenoids in the methanol extract was 25 mg/100 mg dry extract and the total content of terpenoids was lowest in the aqueous extract with 18 mg/100 mg dry extract. In 1-1-diphenyl- 2-picryl hydrazine Free Radical Scavenging (DPPH) Assay, the methanol extract displayed the highest antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 173.581 μg/mL while the hexane extract showed the lowest activity; with IC50 value of 389.13 μg/mL. Reducing power assay was evaluated and aqueous extract was shown to possess the highest reducing power. Evaluation of total antioxidant capacity by phosphomolybdenum assay indicated that methanol extract had the highest antioxidant capacity. Significant correlations were also found between Total Phenol Content, Total flavonoid Content, and antioxidant activities of different leaf extracts of Entada rheedii.

Fahrenheitia zeylanica (Thw.) Airy is a lofty evergreen tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. The present study was conducted to evaluate antibacterial and antioxidant activity of solvent extracts of leaves of F. zeylanica. The powdered leaf material was sequentially extracted using ethyl acetate, chloroform and methanol based on polarity. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau and Aluminiumchloride colorimetric estimation method respectively. Antibacterial activity of solvent extracts was assessed by agar well diffusion method against a panel of nine bacteria. Antioxidant efficacy of solvent extracts was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging and Ferric reducing assay. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts of bark and chloroform extract of leaf contained high phenolic and flavonoid contents. Solvent extracts of bark were more effective in inhibiting test bacteria than leaf extracts. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were inhibited to maximum extent among Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria respectively. Methanol extracts of leaf and bark scavenged DPPH (with IC50 value of 2.02 and 1.17ìg/ml respectively) and ABTS (with IC50 value of 20.89 and 3.42ìg/ml respectively) radicals to high extent followed by ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts. The reducing ability was recorded highest in methanol extracts followed by ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts. Bark extracts have shown stronger scavenging and reducing power than leaf extracts. A positive correlation was observed between antioxidant activity and total phenolic contents of extracts. The solvent extracts of bark and leaf of F. zeylanica have shown antibacterial and antioxidant activity which may be attributed to the phytochemicals present in them. The plant can be used as a remedy for treatment of infectious diseases and oxidative stress due to free radical formation. Further, separation of bioactive compounds and determination of their biological activities are under progress.

This study determined the bio active substances in the physic nut plant, Jatropha curcas and further examined the larvicidal potentials of its hexane, methanol and aqueous leaf and stem extracts on locally reared larvae of the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae in accordance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines for laboratory and field testing of mosquito larvicides. Various concentrations (25mg/mL, 50 mg/mL 100mg/mL and 200 mg/mL) of the plant extracts were tested against third instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the different portions of J. curcas leaf and stem extracts revealed the presence of active toxic compounds including alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycoside and tannins. Methanolic extracts were found to be richer in phytochemicals than hexane and aqueous extracts. All plant extracts at the various concentrations showed significant larvicidal activity against Anopheles gambiae mosquito larvae between 30 minutes to 24 hours of exposure. Methanol leaf extract of J. curcas was most effective as it showed larval mortality of 75 to 100% on the test larvae after 30 minutes to 24 hours of exposure while the methanol stem extract showed 60 to 100% larval mortality. Hexane leaf extract showed larval mortality of 65 to 100% after 30 minutes to 24 hours of exposure whereas hexane stem extract had larval mortality of 60 to 100%. However, the aqueous leaf extract had 40 to 100% mortality as the aqueous stem extract showed 35 to 100% mortality after 30 minutes to 24 hours respectively. The methanol leaf extract showed highest toxicity against the test larvae with LC₅₀ value of 2.52 mg/ml; and LC₉₀ value of 218.15 mg/ml while the least toxicity was observed on aqueous stem extract with LC₅₀ value of 70.71 mg/ml; and LC₉₀ value of 1635.76 mg/ml after 30 minutes of exposure respectively. All the test larvae treated with various extracts exhibited 100% mortality after 24 hours of exposure with less concentrations of the extract required to kill the larvae as time of exposure increased. The toxicity of the various leaf extracts on the mosquito larvae were relatively greater than those of the stem. This is supported by the abundance of secondary metabolites. The findings suggest that the hexane, methanol and aqueous leaf and stem extracts of J. curcas have the potential to be used as an effective botanical larvicide.

Onosma bracteatum (Boraginaceae) is a plant species known for its traditional medicinal uses due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, and other secondary metabolites. The current study aims to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid content in different solvent extracts of Onosma bracteatum leaves using a successive extraction method. The solvents used include chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous extracts. The study also investigates the phytochemical composition of the extracts and their potential antioxidant properties. The results indicated that the percentage yield of the extracts varied significantly, with the aqueous extract yielding the highest (9.21%), followed by ethanol (5.85%), ethyl acetate (2.36%), and chloroform (0.77%). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, phenols, proteins, and carbohydrates in the extracts, with ethanol and aqueous extracts showing the highest levels of flavonoids and phenolic content. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were quantified using standard calibration curves, and the ethanol extract exhibited the highest TPC (3.12 mg/100mg) and TFC (2.68 mg/100mg). The findings suggest that Onosma bracteatum contains significant amounts of bioactive compounds, particularly phenolic compounds and flavonoids, which are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other therapeutic properties. These results support the potential use of Onosma bracteatum as a source of natural antioxidants for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the biological activities of these extracts, including their potential in treating oxidative stress-related disorders.

Introduction: Reactive oxygen species cause disease by damaging the chemical compounds in our body. On the other hand, drug resistance is becoming a serious issue in infection treatment, globally. Ginkgo biloba has many therapeutically features. The objective of this study was to evaluate antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Iranian Ginkgo’s leaf extracts.
 Methods: In this experimental study, aqueous, ethanolic (%70) and methanolic (%80) extracts were made using Ginkgo. Total Phenolic and Flavonoids Content were measured by folin– ciocalteu reagent and Chloride Aluminum color assays. The extracts’ antioxidant activity was assessed by their potential in scavenging DPPH free radicals. Disc Diffusion assay was carried out to test antibacterial potency against two strains of bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes). Data analysis was performed using factorial experiment within a completely randomized design. SPSS version 16 software and Duncan's multiple range tests were used to compare the means.
 Results: Based on results, all three extracts contained extensive amount of phenolic and especially flavonoid compounds with methanolic extract being the richest in phenolic and flavonoids while aqueous extract having the least of these compounds. The most antioxidant activity was found in methanolic extract of 300 mg/mL concentration with %84.73 (P<0.05) and the least was in aqueous extract of 40 mg/mL with %18.17 (P<0.05) ROS scavenging rate, this result was proportional to the measured bioactive components of the extracts. Antibacterial activity in 200 mg/mL concentration of methanolic extract was maximum against Enterococcus faecalis while it was minimum at 50 mg/µl concentration of aqueous extract against Listeria monocytogenes strain. Antibacterial activity of all three extracts was found out to be concentration dependent.
 Conclusion: The results indicated that Ginkgo leaves are rich in phenolic and flavonoids contents that may be reason behind their notable antioxidant and antibacterial activity. Thus, Ginkgo could be a treasure trove of antioxidants and therapeutic compounds. However, more studies are required in regard to Ginkgo’s various characteristics.

In vitro Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Aqueous and Methanolic Extract of Mollugo nudicaulis Lam. Leaves

As a result of increased interest in the production of plant-based drugs for the treatment of many diseases has become a significant reason why people have become more coversant in the use of traditional medicine for the treatment of mild and serious illness. Due to increase in the thrust for the production of plant-based drugs, this present study was carried out to compare the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant potencies of acetone, methanol and aqueous leaf extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana collected from Kaura Namoda Botanical Garden in Zamfara State-Nigeria. The antioxidant activities was evaluated using various assays; The total phenolic content of aqueous, methanol and acetone leaf extract were 15.58 0.66 mg GAE/g, 14.10 2.17 mg GAE/g and 8.70 0.01 mg GAE/g respectively. Total flavonol contents; 207.10 11.53 mg QE/g, 196.08 5.53 mg QE/g and 112.04 8.27 mg QE/g respectively. Total flavonoid contents; 240.99 9.50 mg QE/g, 252.52 3.73 mg QE/g and 123.88 5.58 mg QE/g respectively. FRAP values were 679.14 0.45 mmol/g, 611.90 7.09 mmol/g and 292.07 11.38mmol/g respectively. ABTS activity of aqueous, methanol and acetone leaf extract were 24.30 5.86 mg AAE/g, 14.49 1.02 mg AAE/g and 7.00 0.57 mg AAE/g respectively, methanol leaf extract had the highest percentage DPPH Inhibition value of 42.64 5.13, followed by aqueous (31.77 4.08) at 0.25mg/ml while aqueous had the highest (52.63 0.67), followed by methanol extract (44.80 2.80) at 0.50mg/ml. Aqueous extract had the highest percentage inhibition of Nitric Oxide with a value of 59.74 1.30, followed by methanol extract (46.11 2.54) at 0.25mg/ml. inhibition for aqueous was also highest at 0.5 mg/ml. Aqueous extract had the highest percentage lipid peroxidation inhibition value of 22.66 2.93, followed by methanol leaf extract with the value of 18.89 0.80 while at 0.50mg/ml methanol leaf extract had the highest percentage inhibition of lipid peroxidation (39.42 3.10), followed by aqueous leaf extract with the value of 31.48 1.61. The results showed that aqueous and methanol leaf extract of Acalypha wilkesiana displayed potent antioxidant effects with the aqueous having an edge. This present study therefore supports the view that Acalypha wilkesiana can be used in the management of oxidative stress and other related diseases.

GC-HRTOF-MS metabolite profiling and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of Tulbaghia violacea Harv

Plant-derived compounds comprise diverse biological activities with different mechanisms of actions. Aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate antibacterial activities of methanol and aqueous flower and leaf extracts of Calendula officinalis (pot marigold) on plant-borne pathogens, with total phenolic contents and analysis of phenolics. Flower methanol and aqueous extracts had activity against 4 and 5 strains, respectively out of 11 phytopathogens tested. Highest activity was obtained with methanol extract of flower against E. amylovara and C. michiganensis in all strains tested with 256 and 512 µg/mL minimum inhibitory concentrations, respectively. Total phenolic content of flower extracts were higher than leaf extracts, and the methanol extract of the flower had the highest total phenols among four extracts obtained. Two flower extracts with antibacterial activity were tested for phenolic content. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, and salicylic acid were common in both methanol and aqueous flower extracts. Gallic acid was only present in methanol extract, whereas vanillic acid was present in the aqueous extract. Higher antibacterial activity of the methanol extract may be correlated to the considerably higher relative rutin amount. Considering eco-safety and effectiveness, antibacterial activities of plant extracts would be important in phytopathogen control.

Chemical composition of Acacia farnesiana (L) wild fruits and its activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and dysentery bacteria