Exploration of antimicrobial activity and antioxidant potential of Loranthus Cordifolius plants from Mirpur Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Loranthus cordifolius is a parasitic plant, and its extracts are traditionally used in some cultures as antimicrobial and immunological medicines. Literature suggests that bioactive compounds produced by a parasitic plant could potentially be influenced by the host plant's own chemical composition, playing a role in the adaptogenic properties of the parasitic plant. In the present research, L. cordifolius shrubs were collected from host species Phyllanthus emblica and Juglans regia, and extracts were obtained using chloroform, petroleum ether, methanol, and water. The phytochemical profile, encompassing alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, terpenoids, and saponins, was qualitatively and quantitatively assessed, revealing varying concentrations based on solvents and hosts. Leaf extracts from L. cordifolius (Host P. emblica) displayed superior antifungal and antibacterial activities compared to those from L. cordifolius (Host J. regia). Notably, leaf extracts from L. cordifolius (Host P. emblica) exhibited effective results, including minimum inhibitory effect, Minimum Bactericidal Concentration, and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration. The leaf extracts of L. cordifolius (Host P. emblica) produced the best activity indices of 0.97, 0.97, 1.02, and 0.85 against the test organisms E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and B. subtilis, respectively, as compared to leaf extracts of L. cordifolius (Host J. regia) with values of 0.95, 0.95, 0.94, and 0.82 Stem extracts from L. cordifolius plants (Host P. emblica) demonstrated higher DPPH scavenging effect, total antioxidant activity, and total phenolic contents. These findings suggest that leaf extracts, particularly from host P. emblica, show promise as potential sources of green medicine due to their notable antimicrobial and antioxidant properties compared to the L. cordifolius plants from the host J. regia.