PJB-2017-121
PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF FUMARIA INDICA (HAUSSKN.) PUGSLEY; A TRADITIONALLY IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANT
BAKHT NASIR, MADIHA AHMAD, SYEDA SANIA ZAHRA, HUMAIRA FATIMA AND TOFEEQ UR-REHMAN
Abstract
Plants represent an illimitable bank of molecules for new drug discovery and development. The current study was aimed to scientifically validate and test the traditionally important medicinal plant ‘Fumaria indica’ using multimode standardized assays. The plant was screened for antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antidiabetic and protein kinase inhibitory potential employing a range of solvents in the extraction process. Highest amount of gallic acid equivalent total phenolic (25.59 ± 0.18 µg GAE/mg dry weight (DW) and quercetin equivalent total flavonoid (9.38 ± 1 µg QE/mg DW) contents were quantified in methanol+distilled.water extract (M+Dw). RP-HPLC profiling revealed the presence of appreciable quantity of apigenin, myricetin, quercetin and rutin ranging from 0.030 to 0.215 µg/mg DW. Highest DPPH free radical scavenging efficiency (IC50 81.03 µg/ml), total antioxidant capacity (16.43 ± 0.14 ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/mg DW) and total reducing power (41.17 ± 2.22 AAE/mg DW) were quantified in the M+Dw extract. Significant antibacterial activity was observed against Micrococcus luteus by ethanolic extract (MIC Ë‚ 3.70 µg/ml) while acetone+distilled water and ethanol extracts showed substantial activity against Salmonella typhimurium (MIC 33.33 µg/ml). Significant cytotoxicity against brine shrimps (LC50 349.55 µg/ml) and Hep G2 cell line (IC50 8.45 ± 2.11 µg/ml) was manifested by n-hexane and n-hexane+ethyl acetate extracts respectively while a conspicuous protein kinase inhibitory activity against Streptomyces 85E strain was exhibited by the n-hexane+ethanol extract (18 ± 0.23 mm bald phenotype at 100 µg/disc). A moderate in vitro antidiabetic activity by virtue of alpha amylase inhibition was manifested by ethyl acetate extracts. Our study highlighted the importance of using a multi-solvent extraction process in bioprospecting of medicinal plants. It also validates the traditional medicinal uses of F. indica and emphasizes the need of further screening, isolation and characterization of its biologically active principles.
To Cite this article:
Download
