Phytochemical and Pharmacological Investigation of selected plants available in the Western ghats of India

Abstract

Plant sources have played a prominent role in research related to the discovery and newlinedevelopment of new drugs, alleviating diseases, and improving the quality of life of newlinepatients. Polyphenols are secondary metabolites present in plants that act as antioxidants, newlineimprove health, and reduce the risk of developing degenerative diseases. The study newlineevaluated the therapeutic potential of the selected plants Hybanthus enneaspermus Linn. newlineand Bauhinia foveolata Dalzell. for antioxidant, anticancer and anxiolytic activities. newlineThe powder of the whole plant of H. enneaspermus and leaves of B. foveolata were newlinesubjected to extraction with ethanol to yield the ethanolic extract of H. newlineenneaspermus (EEHE) and B. foveolata (EEBF), respectively. EEHE and EEBF were newlinefractionated with toluene to yield toluene soluble (TFHE, TFBF) and toluene insoluble newline(ITHE, ITBF) biofractions. The toluene insoluble biofractions were successively newlinefractionated with ethyl acetate and methanol to yield ethyl acetate (EFHE, EFBF) and newlinemethanol (MFHE, MFBF) soluble biofractions, respectively. The extracts and biofractions newlinewere screened to detect the presence of phytoconstituents, total phenolic and flavonoid newlinecontent and antioxidant activities using DPPH, Hydrogen peroxide, Nitric oxide and ABTS newlinefree radical scavenging assays. newlineThe extracts and biofractions were screened for in vitro anticancer activity on newlineMCF-7 (breast cancer), Hop-62 (lung cancer), and HeLa (cervical cancer) cell lines newlineemploying antiproliferative sulforhodamine assay, apoptosis, and cell cycle assays by flow newlinecytometry. EEHE, ITHE EEBF, and ITBF were screened for anxiolytic potential using newlineElevated Plus Maze, Light and Dark Transition, Mirror Chamber Test, Hole board test and newlineOptovarimex screening models at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg BW in rats. The newlinetreatment group of rats exhibiting significant anxiolytic activity after a 30-day trial were subjected to isolation of the brain, dissection and estimation of neurotransmitters and newlineantioxidant enzymes in the rat brain homog