Bioactivities of Leaf Extracts from Urceola polymorpha (Pierre) D.J.Middleton & Livsh., Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit, and Passiflora foetida L. Leaf: Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Cytotoxic and Anti-tyrosinase Potential with Molecular Docking Analys

Weeds are naturally occurring plants, often lacking economic value and potentially harming cash crops. However, some weeds contain beneficial compounds, and with proper research, they could be utilized to their fullest potential. In this study, leaf weeds extracted from Urceola polymorpha (Pierre) D.J.Middleton & Livsh., Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit, and Passiflora foetida L. were analyzed for their phenolic content, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity. Among these, P. foetida exhibited the highest phenolic content at 12.99 mg/g dry extract. The extract of H. suaveolens demonstrated the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity, with an IC50 value of 0.07 mg/mL, while P. foetida had the highest activity in the FIC assay with an IC50 is 0.35 mg/mL. In antibacterial assays, P. foetida had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 0.50 mg/mL against B. subtilis, with scanning electron microscopy revealing cell membrane damage. All extracts were found to be non-toxic to fibroblast (3T3), epithelial (Vero), and macrophage cells (RAW 264.7). LC-MS analysis identified flavonoids as the main phenolic compounds in P. foetida. Furthermore, P. foetida showed tyrosinase inhibition with an IC50 of 64.04 mg/mL, supported by molecular docking studies (∆Gbinding between –8.12 to –7.38 kcal/mol). This research highlighted these weed extracts as potential sources of bioactive compounds with valuable biological properties. HIGHLIGHTSLeaf weeds extracted from Urceola polymorpha (Pierre) D.J.Middleton & Livsh., Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit, and Passiflora foetida L. as potential sources of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antibacterial activity, and non-toxic to normal cells. Phytochemicals and anti-tyrosinase activity were investigated in the P. foetida leaf extract. The binding efficiency of active compounds against tyrosinase was examined based on silico molecular docking simulation. This research highlighted these weed extracts as potential sources of bioactive compounds with valuable biological properties. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT