Bioprofiling of Polyherbal Mixture Towards Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Herbs are the major sources that protect us from the attack of free radicals. The methanolic extract of polyherbal mixture comprising the leaves of Ocimumtenuiflorum, Mentha piperita, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Plectranthusamboinicus and Acalypha indica was taken for the study. The research was designed to evaluate phytonutrients, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of polyphenolic compounds extracted from the polyherbal mixture. The results of the investigation indicated a high phenol content of 10.452± 0.010 mg/g along with flavonoids 6.976± 0.014mg/g and tannins 9.08± 0.012mg/g which are also polyphenols as compared to saponins0.250± 0.006mg/g, glycosides 0.058± 0.009mg/g and alkaloids 0.051± 0.005 mg/g in the polyherbal extract. The polyherbal formulation showed maximum yield of polyphenolic compounds in maceration extract which was 476.63μg GAE/mL compared to that of soxhlet method of 403.95μg GAE/mL. The phenolic Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) profile of methanol:hexane exhibited 7 to 8 spots (3:1). The polyphenolic compounds exhibited higher antioxidant activity with EC50 values of 61.67±0.07 μg/mL and 33.95±0.10 μg/mL through ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and phosphomolybdenum analysis respectively and IC₅₀ values of 73.34±0.12 μg/mL and 26.76±0.10 μg/mL through superoxide scavenging radical analysis and 2, 2 azino bis 3 ethylbenzothiazoline 6 sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging analysis respectively. Disk diffusion method revealed that they exhibited antimicrobial activities against oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, Actnimyces viscosus and Staphylococcus aureus with inhibition zones of 14.20±1.15 mm, 15.00±1.00 mm, 21.07±0.57 mm and 22.00±0.51 mm respectively. Finally, the research concluded that the polyherbal extract had antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and that it could be a significant source of bioactive compounds with potential biological benefits.