Analytical Characterization, Antioxidant, Antiviral and Antimicrobial Potential of Selected Medicinal Plants

Objectives/background: The infectious consequences of microorganisms are varied due to resistance to existing antimicrobial drugs or new types of microbes causing lethal consequences for humans. Investigation are being performed to control different viral diseases; therefore; medicinal and herbal plants which have a variety of biological properties, can be evaluated for their anti-viral potential. Methods: The antiviral potential of NADES and water extracts of Senna alexandrina ( S. alexandrina), Peganum harmala ( P. harmala) and Citrullus colocynthis ( C. colocynthis) on Nicotiana benthamiana infected with Cotton Leaf Curl Multan virus were investigated. Results: The results of the antiviral assay revealed that both water and NADES extracts of P. harmala could not exhibit antiviral activity. However, water extracts of S. alexandrina and C. colocynthis successfully inhibited the Cotton Leaf Curl Multan virus , allowing the plant to survive compared to their NADES extracts. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses showed higher phenolic and flavonoid content in the water extracts of S. alexandrina, C. colocynthis and P. harmala compared to the NADES extracts. Additionally, both water and NADES extracts of P. harmala showed greater antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against S.aureus in comparison to other extracts, while the NADES extract of C. colocynthis demonstrated higher antimicrobial activity against E.coli strains. Conclusions: Therefore, these results demonstrated that Senna Alexandrina and Citrullus Colocynthis exhibited potent antiviral activity, suggesting that these plants could be therapeutic agent for treating viral infections.