Strategic bioprospecting of Ctenolepis garcinii for metabolic and infectious disease intervention using HPLC and GC-MS analysis
Paper Details
Strategic bioprospecting of Ctenolepis garcinii for metabolic and infectious disease intervention using HPLC and GC-MS analysis
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus, a common metabolic disorder, demands the development of safe and affordable therapeutic agents. Traditional medicinal plants provide valuable bioactive compounds with antidiabetic and antimicrobial potential. Ctenolepis garcinii, a climber from the Cucurbitaceae family used in South Indian and Sri Lankan medicine, remains scientifically underexplored. This study investigates its phytochemical composition and biological activities using phytochemical, chromatographic, antimicrobial, and molecular docking approaches, emphasizing its antidiabetic and antimicrobial efficacy. Ethanolic extracts of C. garcinii underwent qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening, FTIR, UV–Vis, HPLC flavonoid profiling, GC-MS volatile compound identification, antimicrobial testing against Streptococcus aureus and Candida albicans, and molecular docking targeting SPA and Sky proteins. Phytochemical analysis revealed major constituents such as alkaloids (25.90%), flavonoids (21.50%), and phenols (18.40%). FTIR confirmed hydroxyl, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers, halogens, and disulfides. UV–Vis analysis showed strong absorption at 353 nm and 407 nm, indicating phenolic and flavonoid presence. HPLC detected flavonoids including naringin (15.45 µg/mL), quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin. GC–MS identified 20 compounds, notably tetracosanal (39.55%), 3-methylene-1-oxa-spiro[3,6]decane, and 3-methyl-2-(2-oxopropyl)furan. Antimicrobial assays showed moderate inhibition zones (8 mm for S. aureus, 7 mm for C. albicans). Docking studies revealed strong binding affinities of 3-methyl-2-(2-oxopropyl)furan with SPA (-7.4 kcal/mol) and Sky proteins (−8.3 kcal/mol). Overall, C. garcinii demonstrates a rich phytochemical profile with promising antidiabetic and antimicrobial potential. The identified compounds, supported by docking results, highlight its ethnomedicinal relevance and warrant further pharmacological and toxicological studies for drug development.
Abdel-Aziz MS, Aeron A, El-Nekeety AA. 2018. Screening of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in some medicinal plant extracts using UV–VIS spectrophotometry. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 8(2), 112–118.
Abdel-Sattar E, Harraz FM, Al-Ansari SM, El Gayed SH. 2020. Chemical constituents and biological activities of medicinal plants used in Egyptian folk medicine. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Bays H, Toth P, Kris-Etherton P, Abate N, Aronne L, Katz D. 2008. Obesity, adiposity, and dyslipidemia: A consensus statement from the National Lipid Association. Journal of Clinical Lipidology 2(3), 317–321.
Chanet A, Milenkovic D, Deval C. 2012. Naringin improves diet-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance in mice. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism 303(9), E1093–E1104.
Chen J, Long Y, Han M, Wang T. 2019. Development and validation of HPLC method for quantitative determination of bioactive compounds in herbal extracts. Journal of Chromatographic Science 57(6), 512–519.
Chung KT, Wong TY, Wei CI, Huang YW, Lin Y. 1998. Tannins and human health: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 38(6), 421–464.
Coates J. 2000. Interpretation of infrared spectra: A practical approach. In: Meyers RA (ed.), Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry, Wiley, 10815–10837.
Cushnie TP, Lamb AJ. 2011. Recent advances in understanding the antibacterial properties of flavonoids. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 38(2), 99–107.
Devi LV, Priya MV, Selvapriya S. 2018. Phytochemical screening and FTIR analysis of methanolic leaf extract of Ocimum basilicum L. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology 11(8), 3364–3368.
Evans WC. 2002. Trease and Evans Pharmacognosy. 15th ed. Saunders Ltd.
Fan H, Wang H, Liu Y, Wang H, Qi Y. 2020. Simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds in medicinal plants by HPLC. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 186, 113311.
Kamble GS, Torane RC, Mundhe KS, Deshpande NR, Salvekar JP. 2011. Evolution of free radical scavenging potential of Embelia basal. J. Chem. Pharm. Res. 3(2), 465–471.
Ghasemzadeh A, Jaafar HZE, Rahmat A. 2011. Antioxidant activities, total phenolics and flavonoids content in two varieties of Malaysia young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). Molecules 16(6), 4539–4550.
Harborne JB. 1998. Phytochemical methods: A guide to modern techniques of plant analysis. Springer Science & Business Media.
Jeyaprakash K, Chinnaswamy P. 2018. GC–MS analysis of bioactive components from ethanolic leaf extract of medicinal plant Adhatoda vasica. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research 11(3), 179–182.
Jeyasankar A. 2014. Larvicidal activity of long-chain aliphatic aldehydes from plant extracts against Aedes aegypti. Parasitology Research 113(10), 3709–3713.
Kamble SY, Patil SV, Sawant PS, Sawant SP, Sawant MP. 2017. HPLC analysis and in vitro antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of medicinal plants. International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research 9(6), 836–842.
Kumar A, Roy S. 2020. Phytochemical screening and UV–VIS analysis of ethanolic extract of medicinal plant leaves. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 11(9), 4601–4605.
Kumar S, Pandey AK. 2013. Chemistry and biological activities of flavonoids: An overview. The Scientific World Journal 2013, 1–16.
Li Y, Yao J, Han C. 2016. Quercetin, inflammation and immunity. Nutrients 8(3), 167.
Man S, Gao W, Zhang Y, Huang L, Liu C. 2010. Chemical study and medical application of saponins as anti-cancer agents. Fitoterapia 81(7), 703–714.
Manikandan M, Kumar M, Ramanathan T. 2015. FTIR analysis of ethanolic extracts of medicinal plants. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research 8(2), 173–176.
Meng XY, Zhang HX, Mezei M, Cui M. 2011. Molecular docking: A powerful approach for structure-based drug discovery. Current Computer-Aided Drug Design 7(2), 146–157.
Movaliya VB, Rathod SV. 2019. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as a tool for identification of phytoconstituents in medicinal plants. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 8(5), 2428–2432.
Nijveldt RJ, van Nood E, van Hoorn DE, Boelens PG, van Norren K, van Leeuwen PA. 2001. Flavonoids: A review of probable mechanisms of action and potential applications. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 74(4), 418–425.
Parekh J, Jadeja D, Chanda S. 2005. GC–MS analysis of methanolic extract of Acacia nilotica bark and its antibacterial activity. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines 2(2), 217–222.
Patel DK, Kumar R, Laloo D, Hemalatha S. 2012. Natural medicines from plant source used for therapy of diabetes mellitus: An overview of its pharmacological aspects. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease 2(3), 239–250.
Pavithra PS, Vadivukkarasi S. 2015. GC–MS analysis of bioactive constituents of Sphaeranthus indicus. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 4(1), 78–83.
Prior RL, Wu X, Schaich K. 2005. Standardized methods for the determination of antioxidant capacity and phenolics in foods and dietary supplements. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53(10), 4290–4302.
Raj S, Gothandam KM, Bupesh G. 2016. UV–VIS spectrophotometric analysis of ethanol extract of Aloe vera and its antioxidant activity. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research 8(7), 204–208.
Rajeswari G, Murugan M. 2012. GC–MS analysis of bioactive compounds from the whole plant extract of Evolvulus alsinoides (L.). Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 2(2), S743–S746. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(12)60220-6
Ramalakshmi S, Muthuchelian K. 2011. GC–MS analysis of bioactive components of ethanol leaf extract of Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 2(2), 304–310.
Salehi B, Venditti A, Sharifi-Rad M. 2019. The therapeutic potential of apigenin. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20(6), 1305.
Sharma V, Janmeda P. 2011. Evaluation of hepatoprotective efficacy of flavonoids from some medicinal plants. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences 3(2), 88–91.
Singh R, Singh B, Singh S, Kumar N, Kumar S, Arora S. 2010. HPLC estimation of phenolics and their antioxidant potential in methanolic extracts of medicinal plants. Food Chemistry 120(2), 452–458.
Sowndhararajan K, Kang SC. 2013. Free radical scavenging activity from ethanolic extract of leaves of Plectranthus amboinicus by UV–VIS analysis. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 3(11), 874–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60169-4
Tiwari AK, Rao JM. 2013. Diabetes mellitus and multiple therapeutic approaches of phytochemicals: Present status and future prospects. Current Science 104(1), 30–38.
Tiwari P, Mishra BN, Sangwan NS. 2017. Phytochemical and FTIR analysis of medicinal plants. International Journal of Herbal Medicine 5(2), 40–45.
Ullah H, Khan H, Zengin G. 2021. Pharmacological potential of furan derivatives in antimicrobial and anticancer therapy: An overview. Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 21(12), 1551–1561.
Zhang Q, Ye M, Huang Z. 2012. Determination of flavonoids in medicinal plants by HPLC. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 60(24), 5832–5840.
A. M. Thafshila Aafrin, R. Anuradha, 2025. Strategic bioprospecting of Ctenolepis garcinii for metabolic and infectious disease intervention using HPLC and GC-MS analysis. Int. J. Biosci., 27(5), 24-33.
Copyright © 2025 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.