Exploring therapeutic potential of (L.) Kurz leaf and bark focusing on antioxidant, antithrombotic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antidiarrheal properties.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological properties of methanolic extracts of leaves and barks of (L.) Kurz (family: Lythraceae) focusing on antioxidant, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic, and antidiarrheal effects.

METHODS

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay, clot lysis, disc diffusion, and membrane stabilizing methods were employed to assess in vitro antioxidant, thrombolytic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties of the leaf and bark methanolic extracts (ME) of and different organic solvents, that is, petroleum ether (PE), dichloromethane (DCM), chloroform (CL), and aqueous (AQ) fractions. In addition, central and peripheral analgesic and antidiarrheal activities of both crude extracts were evaluated at two doses (200 and 400 mg/kg of body weight [bw]).

RESULTS

All the extracts and fractions showed promising antioxidant properties by scavenging DDPH free radicals with IC of 6.11-20.79 μg/mL. AQ fraction (41.24%) of leaves and ME (44.90%) of bark exerted notable in vitro thrombolytic activity. The CL fraction of leaves and AQ fraction of the bark showed 43.16% and 45.37% inhibition of RBC hemolysis, respectively, compared to the inhibition of RBC hemolysis by aspirin in a hypotonic-induced membrane stabilizing assay. Besides, both extracts were observed to provide significant ( < 0.001) central and peripheral analgesic responses at both doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg bw. Furthermore, both doses of bark extract ( < 0.001) and the 400 mg/kg bw of leaf extract ( < 0.05) were observed to possess statistically significant antidiarrheal activity. Additionally, in an acute toxicity investigation, both extracts had a median lethal dose (LD) greater than 5000 mg/kg bw, indicating their safety level.

CONCLUSION

The current study proves the ethnomedicinal uses of ; however, further studies are required for phytochemical screening to isolate the responsible bioactive compounds and discover the lead molecules from the plant species.