ELUCIDATING THE PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CYPERUS FLAVESCENS: A COMPREHENSIVE IN VITRO ANALYSIS

Abstract

Despite the huge importance of allopathic drugs, the origin of drugs was basically from medicinal plants that can’t be denied. In current research, one medicinal plant Cyperus flavescens L. was collected from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad and preserved for evaluation and biological profiling of the plant. Qualitative evaluation depicted the presence of 16 different biologically active compounds. Methanolic and chloroform extracts of whole parts of the plant was tested in vitro for its phenolic content, flavonoid content, cytotoxic, antioxidant, and antibacterial assays. The quantitative evaluation displayed the maximum phenolic content (53.90 ± 0.01 GAE mg/g), and maximum flavonoid content (42.23 ± 0.07 QE mg/g) in methanolic extract of C. flavescens. Furthermore, C. flavescens in methanolic extract shown the maximum DPPH scavenging capacity (52.72 ± 0.3 μg/mL), the maximum antioxidant capacity (164.32 ± 0.37 μg/mL), and maximum total reducing power was (238.93 ± 0.61 μg/mL). Moreover, the anti-bacterial study revealed that the maximum inhibition was observed in C. flavescens (4 ± 0.4 mm) again S. aureus (Gram-positive), while the maximum ZOI against R. jostii (Gram-positive) in C. flavescens (3 ± 0.5 mm), and maximum ZOI against S. saprophyticus (Gram-positive) in C. flavescens (3 ± 0.8 mm). Highest cytotoxicity potential depicted in C. flavescens in methanolic extract with LC50 (136.98 ± 0.34 μg/mL), and analysis of functional groups including C-H rock, C-N stretch, C-H wag, C-H bends, and C-Br stretch in the plant extracts was done using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Further, pronounced activities are also recommended for the discovery of new drugs.