Phytochemical Constituents, Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Properties of a Liverwort, Lepidozia borneensis Stephani from Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling of aqueous methanol fraction of Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. & Lindenb. and Sphagnum fimbriatum Wilson for probable antiviral potential

The bryophytes consist of liverworts, mosses, and hornworts, among which the liverworts are quite different in having cellular oil bodies and contain numerous terpenoids, acetogenins, quinones, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, etc. These metabolites exhibit interesting biological activity such as allergenic response, insecticide, cytotoxic, neurotrophic, antimicrobial, and anti-HIV actions, etc. Though several bioactive compounds have been isolated in many liverworts, yet most of the liverworts have been unexplored till date regarding their phytochemistry. The ability of liverworts to generate a wide range of important phytochemicals makes them a hoard of bioactive compounds. In the past, a few species of bryophytes have been evaluated against a few viruses and interesting results were obtained that showed their role as an immunity enhancer against viral infection. The phytoconstituents found in liverworts and mosses can be useful to increase human immunity against a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Keeping this in view, one of the most developed and robust metabolomics technologies, Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) was used to estimate the various phytoconstituents found in a commonly growing thalloid liverwort, Plagiochasma appendiculatum, and moss Sphagnum fimbriatum. The obtained profiles were appraised for their bioactive potential and probable role as antiviral agents.

Analysis of Phenolic and Flavonoid Content, α-Amylase Inhibitory and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Some Medicinal Plants

In Nepal, about 700 plant species have been reported to be used for the primary care of different diseases. However, many of them have not been studied yet for their scientific evidence. The main aim of this study is the quantitative analysis of flavonoids and phenolic content, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities of the extracts of four different medicinal plants, namely, Pogostemon benghalensis, Aleuritopteris bicolor, Crateva unilocularis, and Rungia pectinata growing in Nepal. The methanol extracts of plant samples were prepared by the hot percolation method using the Soxhlet apparatus. The phytochemicals of the plant extracts were analysed by colour differentiation methods using different analytical reagents. The phenolic content was estimated by using Folin-Ciocalteu's phenol reagent and the flavonoid was estimated by the aluminium chloride colorimetric method. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant potential. The α-amylase enzyme inhibition activity was performed to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of plant extracts. The amount of total phenolics and flavonoids content was found to be the highest in Pogostemon benghalensis (169.43 ± 3.58 mg GAE/g and 65.2 ± 2.0 mg QE/g), respectively, which also showed the most potent free radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ 35.92 ± 0.65 μg/mL). The extract of Aleuritopteris bicolor showed the highest α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 651.58 ± 10.32 μg/mL) whereas Crateva unilocularis and Pogostemon benghalensis exhibited moderate activity. The extract of Rungia pectinata showed the least activity towards α-amylase inhibition. Some of the medicinal plants selected in this study showed high TPC and TFC values with potent biological activities. To the best of our knowledge, these medicinal plants have the least exposure to their biological activities, and the results provide scientific evidence for the traditional uses of these plants against diabetes and infectious diseases. However, a detailed study can be performed in these plants to isolate the active chemical compounds and to evaluate in vivo pharmacological activities to know the active drug candidates for the future drug development process.

Secondary Metabolites, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Activities of Dioscorea bulbifera Leaf Collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia

Breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women globally. Malaysia is a country that is rich in medicinal plant species. Hence, this research aims to explore the secondary metabolites, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of Dioscorea bulbifera leaf collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia. Antioxidant activity was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays, while the cytotoxicity of D. bulbifera on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines was tested using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis were assessed using flow cytometry analysis. Phytochemical profiling was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that methanol extract had the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, followed by ethyl acetate and hexane extracts. D. bulbifera tested against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines showed a pronounced cytotoxic effect with IC₅₀ values of 8.96 μg/mL, 6.88 μg/mL, and 3.27 μg/mL in MCF-7 and 14.29 μg/mL, 11.86 μg/mL, and 7.23 μg/mL in MDA-MB-231, respectively. Cell cycle analysis also indicated that D. bulbifera prompted apoptosis at various stages, and a significant decrease in viable cells was detected within 24 h and substantially improved after 48 h and 72 h of treatment. Phytochemical profiling of methanol extract revealed the presence of 39 metabolites such as acetic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, acetin, hexadecanoate, 7-tetradecenal, phytol, octadecanoic acid, cholesterol, palmitic acid, and linolenate. Hence, these findings concluded that D. bulbifera extract has promising anticancer and natural antioxidant agents. However, further study is needed to isolate the bioactive compounds and validate the effectiveness of this extract in the In in vivo model.