Evaluation of Biological Potential and Phytochemical Screening of some Novel Plants from Gilgit-Baltistan

Abstract

The current study was focused on medicinal plants used as raw material for the synthesis of drugs. In this project, eight medicinal plants were collected from Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern areas of Pakistan and tested for in-vitro phytochemical, antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, anticancer and antidiabetic potential. The selected medicinal plants: Echinops niveus Wall. ex Wall., Iris lactea Pall., Lactuca orientalis (Boiss.) Boiss., Polygonum affine D. Don., Rhodiola imbricata Edgew., Salix planifolia Pursh, Saxifraga flagellaris Willd and Sophora alopecuroides L used in the present study are novel. Salix planifolia Pursh was reported for the first time from Pakistan. Salix planifolia Pursh , Iris lactea Pall. and Saxifraga flagellaris Willd were checked for their biological potential for the first time. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used as an identification tool and reported for the first time for seeds of L. orientalis and S. alopecuroides. Extracts were prepared using six different solvents. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and Spectrophotometer UV method. Antioxidant potential was measured by DPPH, phosphomolybdenum and total reducing power assay. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were assessed by disc diffusion method. Moreover, Leishmania tropica Kwh23 promastigotes strain was used for the assessment of anti-leishmanial activity. For anticancer and cytotoxicity evalution, PC-3 cell line, Brine shrimp and Protein Kinase Inhibition assays were used. Alpha amylase Inhibition assay was used for the estimation of antidiabetic potential. Among all extracts methanol seeds extract of L. orientalis showed highest phenolic contents (95.76 mg GAE/g). The methanol extract of S. flagellaris had the highest concentration of flavonoid contents (85.69 mg QE/g). S. alopecuroides seed methanol extract revealed the best DPPH scavenging potential (82 % at 250 mg/mL), best total antioxidant capacity (90.60 mg AAE/g) and total reducing power (94.44 mg AAE/g). Significant antibacterial and antifungal activities in polar extracts. Moreover, best cytotoxicity (LD50 37.54 μg/mL) and anticancer activity (85 %) were found for S. flagellaris n-hexane extract and inhibition in PC3 cells. Furthermore R.imbricata ethanolic extract showed highest protein kinase inhibition (27 mm). L.orientalis methanolic extract has shown (78.8 %) alpha amylase inhibition potential. It was seen that the selected plants are rich reservoir of medicinally important active biochemicals and may be used further for future drug development.