AUTHOR=Ahmad Hafiz Ibtesam , Nadeem Muhammad Faisal , Shoaib Khan Haji Muhammad , Sarfraz Muhammad , Saleem Hammad , Khurshid Umair , Locatelli Marcello , Ashraf Muhammad , Akhtar Naveed , Zainal Abidin Syafiq Asnawi , Alghamdi Adel 

TITLE=Phytopharmacological Evaluation of Different Solvent Extract/Fractions From Sphaeranthus indicus L. Flowers: From Traditional Therapies to Bioactive Compounds

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.708618

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2021.708618

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Sphaeranthus indicus</italic> L. is a medicinal herb having widespread traditional uses for treating common ailments. The present research work aims to explore the in-depth phytochemical composition and <italic>in vitro</italic> reactivity of six different polarity solvents (methanol, <italic>n</italic>-hexane, benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and <italic>n</italic>-butanol) extracts/fractions of <italic>S. indicus</italic> flowers. The phytochemical composition was accomplished by determining total bioactive contents, HPLC-PDA polyphenolic quantification, and UHPLC-MS secondary metabolomics. The reactivity of the phenolic compounds was tested through the following biochemical assays: antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, phosphomolybdenum, and metal chelation) and enzyme inhibition (AChE, BChE, α-glucosidase, α-amylase, urease, and tyrosinase) assays were performed. The methanol extract showed the highest values for phenolic (94.07 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoid (78.7 mg QE/g extract) contents and was also the most active for α-glucosidase inhibition as well as radical scavenging and reducing power potential. HPLC-PDA analysis quantified rutin, naringenin, chlorogenic acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, and epicatechin in a significant amount. UHPLC-MS analysis of methanol and ethyl acetate extracts revealed the presence of well-known phytocompounds; most of these were phenolic, flavonoid, and glycoside derivatives. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the highest inhibition against tyrosinase and urease, while the <italic>n</italic>-hexane fraction was most active for α-amylase. Moreover, principal component analysis highlighted the positive correlation between bioactive compounds and the tested extracts. Overall, <italic>S. indicus</italic> flower extracts were found to contain important phytochemicals, hence could be further explored to discover novel bioactive compounds that could be a valid starting point for future pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals applications.</p>