MEDICINAL BENEFITS OF Parthenium hysterophorus L. LEAVES EXTRACTS

Parthenium hysterophorus (carrot grass) has diverse biological properties responsible for treatment of large number of clinical disorders. Current study was adopted to investigate medicinal benefits of P. hysterophorus leaf extracts prepared in six different solvents (ethanol, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, n-hexane, methanol and chloroform). For determination of antioxidant potential, total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC) and DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl l-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging ability were assessed. Antidiabetic (antiglycation and alpha amylase inhibitions) along with acetylcholinesterase inhibition, thrombolytic, cytotoxic (hemolysis and DNA damage) and antibiofilm activities were performed. Effective DPPH scavenging fraction was n-hexane fraction (70.46%; P = .05) and ethanol fraction exhibited highest TPC (200 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g; P = .05) and TFC (128.68 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/100 g; P = .05). None of the fractions exhibited glycation inhibitory activity. Optimum acetylcholinesterase (76%; P = .05) and alpha amylase (33.5%; P = .05) inhibitory potential was shown by chloroform fraction. Maximum thrombolytic (26.57%) and antihemolytic (7.71%) activities were exhibited by aqueous fraction. No fraction exhibited the DNA damage protection activity. Maximum Staphylococcus aureus growth inhibition (94%) was by ethyl acetate fraction. The present study demonstrated that P. hysterophorus is noxious weed thus further investigation is required to elucidate the relative bioactive potentials of P. hysterophorus leaves.