Phytochemical Study and In Vitro Biological Activities of Hibiscus panduriformis Burm. f. (Malvaceae), Alternanthera pungens Kunth (Amaranthaceae), and Wissadula rostrata (Schumach.) Hook. f. (Malvaceae)

Abstract

The present study investigated the phytochemical content of Hibiscus panduriformis, Alternanthera pungens, and Wissadula rostrata and assessed their radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties. n-Hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts were prepared from the powdered plant parts. The phytochemical analysis was performed using qualitative high-performance thin-layer chromatography, and polyphenols were quantified using well-established methods. The anti-inflammatory effect was by lipoxygenase inhibition, while the antiradical impact was evaluated through DPPH and ABTS radicals. Steroids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and tannins were identified in the three plants. The highest phenolic content (95.67 ± 2.19 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) was obtained in the methanolic extract of W. rostrata, while the lowest was measured in H. panduriformis. H. panduriformis was found to be highly rich in flavonoids (61.22 ± 0.09 mg rutin equivalent/g), condensed tannins (62.53 ± 0.03 mg catechin equivalent/g), and hydrolyzable tannins (125.1 ± 1.02 mg tannic acid equivalent/g). The methanolic extract of H. panduriformis displayed the greatest antilipoxygenase activity with an IC₅₀ value of 8.78 ± 1.05 μg/mL. It should be noted that although a moderate to low effect was observed, the extracts were more likely to scavenge DPPH (IC₅₀ values ranged from 0.106 ± 0.010 to 1 mg/mL) than ABTS radicals. There was a strong to moderate correlation between the antilipoxygenase and DPPH radical scavenging effects of the methanolic extracts and total phenolic content (antilipoxygenase, r = 0.7175; DPPH, r = 0.9376). Furthermore, it is worth noting that this is the first report investigating the phytochemical analysis and in vitro biological properties of Hibiscus panduriformis. The results highlighted the richness of this plant in polyphenols and demonstrated its high and moderate effects on lipoxygenase and DPPH radicals, respectively. To this intent, further in vivo and in vitro studies on this plant, along with exhaustive phytochemical analysis, are needed.