Phytochemical and Biological Evaluation of R. hastatus and R. himalyica (Polygonaceae) from Galiyat Pakistan

The medicinal plants have been known for their wide variety of applications for centuries. R. hastatus and R. himalyica are such medicinal plants which have been used in Ayurveda for their excellent antioxidative and scavenging properties. The present study is designed to explore the importance of phytochemical constituents and their biochemical activities due to which they have been known for the treatment of wide variety of diseases. The standardized extraction of the said plant was successfully performed using dichloromethane and methanol as solvents at 25°C for 24 hours. Phytochemical analysis was performed and plant showed good content of flavonoids, anthraquinone glycoside and tannins. Antioxidative activity was evaluated by nitric oxide scavenging activity, ferrous reducing power, and DPPH assay. In vitro phytotoxic activity was carried out through brine shrimp assay to calculate the cytotoxicity of the standardized extract of R. hastatus and R. himalyica. Antifungal activity was also performed. Significant anti oxidative activity was observed, nitric oxide scavenging activity (37.8% at 0.125 mg/ml, p≤0.05), ferrous reducing power (71.48% at 0.125 mg/ml, p≤0.05) and DPPH assay (92.47% at 3.79 µg/ml, p≤0.05). Insignificant antifungal activity was obtained. Cytotoxicity was significant as R. hastatus caused 78% inhibition at 1000 µg/ml and R. himalyica showed 78% inhibition at 1000 µg/ml against standard drug. The results indicate that both R. histatus and R. himalyica have significant role in combating oxidative and fungal ailments and can be used for the treatment of diseases.