Pharmacological profiling and phytochemical analysis of fractionated extracts of Euphorbia royleana

Euphorbia royleana belongs to family Euphorbiaceae, with great therapeutic potential. The present study is aimed to validate its traditional uses. GC-MS analysis of Euphorbia royleana crude and fractionated extracts were performed. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by Brine shrimp lethality (BSL) assay. Plant extract antioxidant activity was performed through in vitro multidimensional assays. Plant elemental analysis was performed through atomic absorption spectroscopy. In addition, the extract antibacterial activity against two gram negative i.e. Staphylococcus aureus, Xanthomonas campestris, and two gram-positive bacterial strains i.e. Escherichia. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae with agar well diffusion assay was performed. GC-MS analysis of n-hexane fraction revealed the presence of 16 phytocomponents. Phytochemical investigation led to identification and quantification of phenols, glycol cyanide, tannins, saponins, alkaloids and flavonoids. Highest phenol and flavonoid content (1.886±0.02 µg/mg, 0.855±0.01 µg/mg, 0.551±0.01 µg/mg and 0.090±0.01 µg/mg respectively) was quantified in plant extract and in n-hexane fraction. Crude and fractionated extracts (n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate and methanol) exhibited moderate cytotoxicity 81%, 71%, 52.5%, 57.5% and 51.5% respectively against brine shrimp nauplii with LD50 values of 168.46 and 220.30%. Plant extracts also showed scavenging activity ranging from 23-61% at 25-400 µg/mL. E. royleana consist of various compounds and minerals, namely K +, Na+, Fe+2, Co+3, Mn+2, Cu+3, Cr+3, and Cd+2. The antimicrobial activity revealed that the plant crude extract and n-hexane fraction comparatively exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Xanthomonas campestris. This study evaluated the plant's potential as a source of antimicrobials and antioxidants for future application in treating infectious disorders.