Phytochemical Analysis and Some Bioactivities of Leaves and Fruits ofMyrsine africanaLinn

Myrsine africanais a medicinal plant which belongs to the family Myrsinaceae and has been used as an appetizer, carminative and anthelmintic. This study was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxic, antitumor, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of fruit and leaf methanolic and chloroform extracts ofM. africanaas well as the quantitative phytochemical assessment. Leaves and fruits were collected randomly fromM.Africanaplants growing at Margallah Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan. Samples were shade-dried for further extraction. Methanol extract of both leaf and fruit performed better results than chloroform extract in terms of all activities (i.e., antioxidant, cytotoxic, antitumor and antimicrobial. Fruits extract exhibited cytotoxicity with 100% mortality, while leaves exhibited 33.33% mortality of brine shrimp at 1000 mu gmL(-1). Similarly, tumor inhibition of potato disk exhibited by methanol extract of fruit and leaves was 82.22% and 53.70%, respectively, at 1000 mu gmL(-1). Fruit extracts have shown remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activity, with maximum percentage observed againstStaphylococcus epidermidis and Klebsiella pneumonia(83.05 and 69.98) at 25 mgmL(-1), respectively, while leaves have shown 30.94% and 28.51%, respectively. Maximum antifungal inhibition was observed in methanol extract of both fruit and leaves againstAlternaria alternata(83.64%) at 25 mgmL(-1). A percentage of 66.48 and 52.47 radical scavenging activity was observed against DPPH assay by methanolic fruit and leave extract, respectively, at 250 mu gmL(-1). Similarly, an absorbance range of 0.986-0.207 nm and 0.402-0.014 nm was shown by methanolic fruit and leaves extract, respectively, against phosphomolybdate assay. Phytochemicals such as terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, tannins and saponins were present qualitatively in all tested extracts. Fruit and leaf extracts contain total phenolics (0.137 mgg(-1)and 0.089 mgg(-1)), flavonoids (20 mgg(-1)and 12.5 mgg(-1)) and saponins (140 mgg(-1)and 66 mgg(-1)), respectively. Selected phytochemical properties such as flavonoids, phenolic, terpenoids, steroids and saponins are major bioactive components considered vital sources for the treatment of destructive disease. In the view of obtained results, we conclude that fruit extracts ofM. Africanahave better pharmacological properties than leaf extracts. Further studies are in progress toward identification and characterization of chemical compounds.

Automated summary

The study evaluated the cytotoxic, antitumor, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties of the methanolic and chloroform extracts of Myrsine africana fruit and leaf, finding that the methanol extracts performed better in all activities. Fruits showed higher cytotoxicity and tumor inhibition than leaves, while both extracts exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activity. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of beneficial compounds such as flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, steroids, and saponins in both extracts. Overall, the fruit extracts showed superior pharmacological properties and further studies are being conducted to identify and characterize the chemical compounds present.