Eight selected wild vegetables from Nepal (Alternanthera sessilis, Basella alba, Cassia tora, Digera muricata, Ipomoea aquatica, Leucas cephalotes, Portulaca oleracea and Solanum nigrum) were investigated for their antioxidative potential using 2,2-dyphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) methods. Among the selected plant extracts C. tora displayed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value 9.898 μg/mL, whereas A. sessilis had the maximum H2O2 scavenging activity with an IC50 value 16.25 μg/mL—very close to that of ascorbic acid (16.26 μg/mL). C. tora showed the highest absorbance in the FRAP assay and the lowest lipid peroxidation in the FTC assay. A methanol extract of A. sessilis resulted in the greatest phenolic content (292.65 ± 0.42 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g) measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method, while the smallest content was recorded for B. alba (72.66 ± 0.46 GAE/g). The greatest flavonoid content was observed with extracts of P. oleracea (39.38 ± 0.57 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g) as measured by an aluminium chloride colorimetric method, while the least was recorded for I. aquatica (6.61 ± 0.42 QE/g). There was a strong correlation between antioxidant activity with total phenolic (DPPH, R2 = 0.75; H2O2, R2 = 0.71) and total flavonoid content (DPPH, R2 = 0.84; H2O2, R2 = 0.66). This study demonstrates that these wild edible leafy plants could be a potential source of natural antioxidants.

Objective: Phytochemicals as phenol and flavonoid have a powerful biological activity. So, this study aimed to carry out phytochemical screening, total phenol and flavonoid content in two plant species i.e. M. rubicaulis and R. indica. Methods: The extraction of different parts of two plant species was done by maceration using ethanol. Phytochemical screening was done to confirm the presence of phytochemicals. Total phenol content was done by Folin ciocalteu method and total flavonoid content was done by Aluminium chloride colorimetric method. Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoid, phenol, terpenoids in both plant species. The highest concentration of phenol content was observed in the root and stem of an extract of M. rubicaulis i.e. 281.83±1.98 mg GAE/g dry extract weight and 225.37±0.60 mg GAE/g dry extract weight. The highest concentration of flavonoid contents was observed in the leaves of R. indica i.e. 462.21±4.67 mg QE/g dry extract weight followed by stem and root of M. rubicaulis i.e. 381.06±5.23 mg QE/g dry extract weight and 337.43±1.39 mg QE/g dry extract weight. Conclusion: Phytochemical analysis concluded the presence of biologically important phytoconstituents like flavonoid and phenol in both plant species. Further studies, should be carried out to isolate specific chemical constituents and should be used in different studies to explore their biological effects.

Many plants have the property of wound healing, but most of the people are using costly allopathic medicine for the wound. This might be due to lack of awareness about the traditional uses and lack of scientific study of ethnomedicinal plants. So, this study aimed to carry out the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of two medicinal plants which are used traditionally for wound healing activity, i.e.,Mimosa rubicaulis and Reinwardtia indica. Different parts of Mimosa rubicaulis (root, stem, and leaves) and Reinwardtia indica (flower and leaves) were used for the study. Extractions were done by maceration using ethanol as solvent. Antibacterial activity was carried out by the well diffusion method, and antioxidant activities were screened by DPPH radical scavenging and NO scavenging assays. Extract of M. rubicaulis has shown a weak zone of inhibition towards S. aureus and P. vulgaris whereas R. indica has shown no zone of inhibition towards selected bacterial strains. Leaf, root, and stem extracts of M. rubicaulis have shown potent antioxidant activity, i.e., IC50 value of 9.8 µg/ml, 10.19 µg/ml, and, 13.64 µg/ml, respectively. Similarly, leaf extract of R. indica exhibited antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 19.73 μg/ml. The percentage inhibition of NO radicals of root and stem of M. rubicaulis and leaves of R. indica was 31%, 21%, and 22%, respectively. Out of these two plant species, M. rubicaulis had shown antibacterial activity towards selected microorganism, but antioxidant activity was shown by both plant species. These properties on above mentioned two plant species might help for the development of a marketed formulation for antibacterial and wound-healing agent since wound healing is promoted by antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

Antiviral and antibacterial properties of phloroglucinols: a review on naturally occurring and (semi)synthetic derivatives with potential therapeutic interest