Phytochemical and Pharmacological Studies of Different Extracts of Stem Bark and Leaf of Flueggea leucopyrus Willd.

Abstract

Background: Traditional medicinal plants are generally extracted and evaluated to identify potential sources of effective drugs. Objective: The present study aimed to conduct the phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of stem bark and leaf extracts of Flueggea leucopyrus. Materials and Methods: The collected plant material was dried, powdered, and extracted separately by soxhlation with different solvents viz., petroleum ether, n-hexane, chloroform, acetone, methanol, and water. All the extracts were subjected to phytochemical evaluation. Alkaloids were extracted and characterized from the powdered sample of leaf and bark. In vitro antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated by DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and nitric oxide radical scavenging assay and anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of protein denaturation and Human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization method. Results: Extracts were found to be either semisolid or solid with different tints of green or brown colour. The preliminary phytochemical evaluation found alkaloids, glycoside, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carbohydrates, sterol, and saponin. On spectral evaluation, the presence of an alkaloid, Securinol-A was found in a fraction extracted from the bark. In the in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity the tested samples showed a concentration-dependent rise of activity, particularly, the isolated fraction and acetone extract of stem bark revealed a significant activity. Conclusion: Alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, and saponins identified in these extracts may be responsible for these biological activities. Hopefully, our in vitro and in vivo evaluations and compound-level studies in the future will reveal significant data for the development of clinically useful chemotherapeutic agents.