Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activities of Selected Medicinal Plants of Himalayas, Pakistan

Abstract

Medicinal plants are known for their diverse use in the traditional medicine of the Himalayan region of Pakistan. The present study is designed to investigate the anticancer and antimicrobial activities of Prunus cornuta and Quercus semicarpifolia. The anticancer activity was performed using cancerous human cell lines (HepG2, Caco-2, A549, MDA-MB-231, and NCI-H1437 carcinoma cells), while the antimicrobial activity was conducted with the agar-well diffusion method. Furthermore, toxicity studies were performed on alveolar and renal primary epithelial cells. Initially, different extracts were prepared by maceration techniques using n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and methanol. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, and quinones. The chloroform extract of P. cornuta (PCC) exhibited significant inhibitory activity against Acinetobacter baumannii (16 mm) and Salmonella enterica (14.5 mm). The A. baumannii and S. enterica strains appeared highly susceptible to n-hexane extract of P. cornuta (PCN) with an antibacterial effect of 15 mm and 15.5 mm, respectively. The results also showed that the methanolic extracts of Quercus semecarpifolia (QSM) exhibited considerable antibacterial inhibitory activity in A. baumannii (18 mm), Escherichia coli (15 mm). The QSN and QSE extracts also showed good inhibition in A. baumannii with a 16 mm zone of inhibition. The Rhizopus oryzae strain has shown remarkable mycelial inhibition by PCM and QSN with 16 mm and 21 mm inhibition, respectively. Furthermore, the extracts of P. cornuta and Q. semicarpifolia exhibited prominent growth inhibition of breast (MDA-MB-231) and lung (A549) carcinoma cells with 19–30% and 22–39% cell viabilities, respectively. The gut cell line survival was also significantly inhibited by Q. semicarpifolia (24–34%). The findings of this study provide valuable information for the future development of new antibacterial and anticancer medicinal agents from P. cornuta and Q. semicarpifolia extracts.

Evaluation of Uterotonic Activity, Acute Oral Toxicity, and Phytochemical Composition of Uvariodendron anisatum Verdc. Root Extracts

“…One ml of the extracts was treated separately with two drops of conc. HNO 3 ; the formation of a yellow precipitate indicates the presence of proteins [ 36 , 37 ].…”

Pharmaceutical Potential of High-Altitude Plants for Fatigue-Related Disorders: A Review

“…Plateau environmental stress on natural plants during their evolution has attracted considerable attention [ 66 ]. Along with an increase in altitude, the environment becomes harsher, which results in nutritional deficiencies, frost, ultraviolet radiation, and oxidative stress.…”

Study of the Anticancer Potential of Plant Extracts Using Liver Tumor Microphysiological System

“…Indigenous Himalayan inhabitants reported ethnobotanical uses of Acer cappadocicum Gled against several diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, fatty liver disease, conjunctivitis, and inflammation. Additionally, several bioactivity analyses have confirmed the ethnomedical significance of Acer species towards hepatoprotective function [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Previously, the study of the phytochemical evaluation, antimicrobial activities, and cytotoxicity of Acer cappadocicum Gled extracts forecasted their potential for drug discovery [19].…”