Phytochemicals and Bioactivities of Erigeron Sumatrensis Retz. from Gayo Highlands: Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Anticancer

The Asteraceae is renowned for its diverse medicinal properties. Among its members, Erigeron sumatrensis, locally known as Jelantir, is an ecologically important plant in the Gayo Highlands of Indonesia with unexplored therapeutic potential. This study investigated the methanol leaf extract's phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and antidiabetic and anticancer properties. Phytochemical examination revealed the presence of several bioactive components in the methanol extract, including flavonoids, phenolics, terpenoids, steroids, tannins, and alkaloids. Quantification revealed substantial levels of total phenolic content (11854.50 mg GAE/g), total flavonoid content (1056.15 mg QE/g), and total tannin content (442.73 mg TAE/g). The extract exhibited potent antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, with IC50 values of 48.67 ± 32.38 μg/mL, 35.61 ± 2.05 μg/mL, and 29.60 ± 5.15 μg/mL. GC-MS analysis identified glycidyl palmitate (21.35%) as the most abundant compound in the extract. PASS prediction highlighted several compounds, including glycidyl palmitate, myristic acid glycidyl ester, 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, oxiranylmethyl ester, hexadecanoic acid, estra-1,3,5-trien-17ß-ol, and caryophyllene oxide, as potential antidiabetic and anticancer agents. ADMET analysis further suggested estra-1,3,5-trien-17ß-ol and caryophyllene oxide as promising candidates for oral drug development due to their adherence to Lipinski's rule of five. Molecular docking studies revealed favorable interactions between these compounds and target proteins. In vitro assays confirmed the extract's inability to inhibit α-glucosidase activity but were able to suppress MCF-7 breast cancer cell proliferation. This study gives the first evidence of E. sumatrensistherapeutic potential in the Gayo Highlands. Our findings highlight its rich phytochemical profile, potent antioxidant activity, and promising antidiabetic and anticancer properties, warranting further investigation into its clinical applications and optimization for therapeutic use. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2025-06-01-04 Full Text: PDF