Abstract
Syzygium cumini (S. cumini) is an evergreen tropical plant that is well recognized for its therapeutic potential of common diseases. In this study, the therapeutic potential and biomedical application of S. cumini are assessed in vitro and in vivo to find its effectiveness for different complications. The methanolic crude extract of S. cumini leaves were screened for total phenolic and flavonoid content. In vitro, the DPPH scavenging assay, XTT assay, prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin time were used to assess antioxidant, cytoprotective and thrombolytic activity of the S. cumini extract, respectively. The anti-inflammatory potential and the analgesic activity of the S. cumini extract were analyzed in rabbits by the Carrageenan induced paw edema method and the writhing method, respectively. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of considerable amounts of total phenolic (369.75 ± 17.9 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (75.8 ± 5.3 mgRE/g) content in the S. cumini extract. The DPPH assay demonstrated a higher antioxidant potential (IC-50 value of 133 μg/ml), which was comparable to the IC-50 of ascorbic acid (122.4 μg/ml). Moreover, the S. cumini extract showed a dose dependent cytoprotective effect against H2O2 treated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). S. cumini also possesses significant anticoagulant activity with a prothrombin time of 28.3 ± 1.8 seconds vs 15.8 ± 0.2 seconds of control, p<0.05. The leaf extract also demonstrated an analgesic effect in rabbits as indicated by the decrease in writhing (12.2 ± 1.7 control vs. 3.7 ± 0.6 treated) and anti-inflammatory activity in rabbits paw with a protection against inflammation of 64.1 ± 2.4%. Our findings suggest that the methanolic extract of S. cumini leaves has antioxidant, cytoprotective, anticoagulant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, and therefore, can be applied for treating cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
Highlights
Plants provide a large repertoire of phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamins, which are active ingredients of therapeutic drugs in modern age [1]
The total phenolic contents measured for methanolic extract of leaves of S. cumini was 369.75 ± 17.9 mg GAE/g of plant extract
The experimental work confirmed that a large amount of phenolics and flavonoids is embedded in the S. cumini tissues confirming the therapeutic usefulness of the parental plant
Summary
Plants provide a large repertoire of phytochemicals such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamins, which are active ingredients of therapeutic drugs in modern age [1]. Natural plant components are associated with minimal side effects as compared to synthetic drugs and as such have gained much interest. More than 25000 phytochemicals have been identified to date [2] including more than 8000 different types of polyphenols for their therapeutic potential [3]. The therapeutic potential of plants are often attributed to their high phenolic content [4]. Several studies have been carried out to ascertain the therapeutic potential of phytochemicals especially polyphenols and flavonoids against a number of ailments [5]. Screening of traditional natural plant-based products is a logical approach in drug discovery
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