Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic and Protein Kinase Inhibition Activities of Fifteen Traditional Medicinal Plants From Pakistan

Abstract

Crude methanol extracts of fifteen ethnopharmacological plants were prepared by simple maceration procedure for studying their phytochemical and antimicrobial properties, cytotoxicity, and protein kinase inhibition activity. Among all, the maximum gallic acid equivalent (GAE) total phenolic content and quercetin equivalent (QE) total flavonoid content were found in Ficus carica (8.6 and 7.1 μg/mg DW, respectively). F. carica also exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) antiradical (DPPH) potential (IC₅₀ = 12.6 μg/mL). Mentha piperita exhibited maximum total antioxidant capacity and reduction potential when expressed as equivalent to ascorbic acid (12.82 and 5.11 μg/mg DW, respectively). Ricinis communis was found more susceptible to Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Cannabis sativa against Salmonella typhi and Calotropis procera against Micrococcus luteus. A remarkable degree of cytotoxicity against brine shrimps was exhibited by Euphorbia helioscopia, with 50% mortality at 57.74 μg/mL. Convolvulus arvensis showed noteworthy protein kinase inhibitory activity with 20 ± 1.2 mm zone of inhibition (ZOI) analyzed by Streptomyces hyphae formation inhibition. It is concluded that methanol extracts of F. carica and M. piperita can be considered as potential sources of antioxidants, while R. communis, E. helioscopia and C. arvensis could provide potent antimicrobial and cytotoxic agent and oncogenic kinase inhibitor, respectively.