IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDATIVE, ANTIBACTERIAL, AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF SMILAX ZEYLANICA L. AND BERBERIS ARISTATA DC

Abstract Background: The research examined the antioxidant, antibacterial, and hepatoprotective properties of hydroalcoholic extracts derived from Smilax zeylanica L. and Berberis aristata DC. Alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and glycosides were the major phytoconstituents, with a significant quantity of alkaloids and flavanones. Objective: The hydroalcoholic extract of Smilax zeylanica exhibited an IC50 value of 6.29 μg/ml, while Berberis aristata demonstrated an IC50 value of 9.26 μg/ml in the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) assay for antioxidant activity. Methods: The modified extract showed significant antibacterial activity and Enterococcus faecalis exhibited significant susceptibility to the extract by using the disc diffusion method. Results: The hepatoprotective activity of the extracts was assessed against HepG2 cells, and the extracts showed varying levels of hepatoprotection and cytotoxicity. Berberis aristata showed the highest hepatoprotective activity (IC50 < 47.09) among all the extracts. Conclusion: From the above, it is suggested that natural antioxidants, antibacterials, and hepatoprotective properties of plant extracts of Smilax zeylanica and Berberis aristata could be promising for further research and can be used to develop effective antibacterial agents against microbial infections.