Chemical Profile, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Activities of the Water-Ethanol Extract of Pulicaria undulata Growing in the Oasis of Central Saudi Arabian Desert

Abstract

Pulicaria undulata (L.) C. A. Mey has multiple uses as part of traditional medicament, and several biological activities of the plant have been corroborated in the scientific literature. The current work evaluates the phytochemical constituents and biological properties of the water-ethanol extract of the P. undulata growing in Qassim, the central arid regions of Saudi Arabia. Qualitative UPLC-ESIQ-TOF analysis identified 27 compounds belonging to the phenolics, flavonoids, triterpenes, coumarins, and fatty acids chemical class. The quantitative analysis exhibited 33.3 mg/g GAE (Gallic Acid Equivalents), and 10.8 mg/g QE (Quercetin Equivalent) of the phenolics and flavonoids in the plant’s concentrated (to dryness) water-ethanol extract. The trace elements analysis of the plant’s dry powder established the presence of copper (20.13 µg/kg), and zinc (68.2 µg/kg) in the higher levels of occurrences. In terms of the antioxidant potential of the plant’s extract, the ferric-reducing, and free-radicals scavenging activities were recorded at 47.11 mg/g, and 19.13 mg/g equivalents of the concentrated to dryness water-ethanol extract of the plant. The water-ethanol extract of P. undulata also exhibited antimicrobial activity against the tested Gram-positive bacteria, while no activity was observed against the tested Gram-negative bacteria, or the fungi. The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values were in the range of 49 to 1563 µg/mL, whereas the MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) values ranged from 49 to 3125 µg/mL, against the tested Gram-positive bacteria. The P. undulata water-ethanol extract also exhibited potent cytotoxic effects with the IC50 value at 519.2 µg/mL against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell-lines, followed by the anticancer activity of erythroleukemic cell-lines, K562 at 1212 µg/mL, and pancreatic cell-lines, PANC-1, at 1535 µg/mL, as compared to the normal fibroblast cells (4048 µg/mL). The Annexin-V assay demonstrated that, as the P. undulata extract’s dose increased from IC50 to twice of the IC50, the percentage of necrosis was found to be increased in the late apoptosis of the cancer cells. These data confirmed the P. undulata extract’s ability to inhibit several human cancer cell lines’ growth in comparison to other local halophytes. The antimicrobial activity of the plant was also confirmed.

In Vitro and In Silico Approaches for the Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity, Time-Kill Kinetics, and Anti-Biofilm Potential of Thymoquinone (2-Methyl-5-propan-2-ylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione) against Selected Human Pathogens

“…The preliminary antimicrobial activity of TQ was determined by the disc diffusion method [ 1 , 4 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Mueller–Hinton agar (MMHA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) were used as test media.…”

“…MIC was determined by the resazurin-based micro broth dilution method, while MBC was performed following the standard spot inoculation method [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 40 , 41 ]. The inocula of each test bacteria were prepared in TSB, following the CLSI guidelines, where the OD 600 value (0.08–0.12) was adjusted, resulting in ~1 × 10 8 CFU/mL.…”

“…Hospital-acquired infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens are among the leading causes of mortality in hospitalized patients [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. These pathogens include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing organisms, including Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aerugenosa ), Acinetobacter baumannii ( A. baumannii ), Klebsiella pneumoniae ( K. pneumoniae ), Klebsiella oxytoca ( K. oxytoca ), Proteus mirabilis ( P. mirabilis ), Salmonella enterica ( S. enterica ), Neisseria gonorrhoeae ( N. gonorrhoeae ), Haemophilus influenzae ( H. influenzae ), Kluyvera species, and Enterobacter aerogenes ( E. aerogenes ).…”

“…Plants produce several secondary metabolites to combat environmental pathogens [ 4 , 5 ]. Nigella sativa , a well-known and invaluable plant-grows naturally in southern Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia.…”

GC-MS Analysis of Potentially Volatile Compounds of Pleurotus ostreatus Polar Extract: In vitro Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, Immunomodulatory, and Antioxidant Activities

“…After 30 min of incubation at room temperature, the absorbance of the mixture was measured at 415 nm. The quantified flavonoids were expressed as quercetin equivalents (QE) and were calculated in mg of quercetin per g of the dry extract (Mohammed et al, 2021).…”