Assessment of antibacterial activity and cytotoxic effects of in vitro and in vivo plant parts of a medicinal plant Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr.

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of both the in vitro and in vivo plant part extracts of the medicinal plant Gynura procumbens. An effective protocol for regeneration and callus formation was developed using nodal segments and regenerated leaf explants, respectively. The highest fresh and dry weight calli were produced after four weeks of culture on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 2.0 mg/L BAP and 2.0 mg/L NAA, while the most shoots were produced on MS medium containing 1.0 mg/L BAP and 0.5 mg/L IAA. The in vitro shoots developed roots on MS media with 0.1 mg/L IBA. The antibacterial activity of extracts against various bacteria was examined to determine their significance (p < 0.05). The least significant difference (LSD) test results showed that the regenerated leaf extract had the highest antibacterial activity while the callus extract had the lowest. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were also established. Regenerated leaf extract had the highest toxicity and the lowest lethal concentration (LC50) value (1.21 ± 0.03 μg/mL) in a brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In contrast, callus extract had the lowest toxicity and the highest LC50 (11.09 ± 0.4 μg/mL). In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity test results revealed that the callus and field leaf extracts had anti-cell-proliferative properties. The regenerated leaf and stem extract, however, could induce cell growth.