Analysis of antioxidant, anti inflammatory, antibacterial activities and characterisation of secondary metabolites using LC-Q-TOF–MS/MS of immune booster medicinal plant Andrographis gracilis Nees
摘要
Andrographis gracilis Nees, is primarily valued for its immune-boosting properties, among other therapeutic activities in traditional Indian Medicine. In this study, we investigated the plant leaves metabolic profile using liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF–MS/MS) and elucidated the plant's bioactive potential, focusing on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Our results revealed potent antioxidant activity, as evidenced by the DPPH radical scavenging assay, highlighting the plant's ability to mitigate oxidative stress with an IC50 value of 17.13 ± 0.5 µg/ml. Furthermore, Andrographis gracilis demonstrated a dose dependent protein denaturation comparable to that of conventional diclofenac, thus exhibiting promising anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, our findings unveiled remarkable antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa suggesting its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent, with a zone of inhibition of 14.29 ± 1.63 mm at a 100 μg/ml concentration. Secondary metabolite profiling carried out through LC-Q-TOF–MS/MS provided valuable insights into the chemical composition of Andrographis gracilis. The analysis revealed the presence of 27 bioactive compounds, belonging to different classes of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic acids and coumarins. Most of the identified compounds were well known for their diverse pharmacological properties. There was a positive correlation between phenolic content and antioxidant activities. This is the first study to provide a comprehensive outlook of the multifaceted therapeutic potential of this plant species, as well as the identification of the key phytocompounds, validating its traditional use as an immune booster.