Phytochemical Investigation and Evaluation of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Activities of Elettaria cardamomum Pod Extracts

This study investigates the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of the aqueous, chloroform, and ethanol extracts of Elettaria cardamomum pods. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids and flavonoids in the aqueous extract, cardiac glycosides and alkaloids in the ethanol extract, and only cardiac glycosides in the chloroform extract, with tannins, terpenoids, and saponins absent across all extracts. Focusing on flavonoids, the total flavonoid content of the aqueous extract was quantified at 45.5 ± 0.12 µg/mL using the aluminum chloride method. Antimicrobial assays demonstrated that the aqueous extract inhibited both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with the highest inhibitory effect observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18±0.02 mm zone of inhibition at 100 µg/mL). The extract also exhibited significant antioxidant properties, displaying effective DPPH scavenging (IC₅₀ = 20.44 ± 0.23 µg/mL), ABTS radical inhibition (IC₅₀ = 10.324±0.23 µg/mL), and nitric oxide scavenging (IC₅₀ = 21.78±0.18 µg/mL). Additionally, the anticancer potential was assessed via MTT assay, showing significant growth inhibition of the HT-29 colorectal cancer cell line (IC₅₀ = 67.98 µg/mL), with maximum inhibition at 300 µg/mL (71.93%). The findings of this study highlight the therapeutic potential of E. cardamomum pods as a source of bioactive compounds with notable antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. These results support further exploration of E. cardamomum in medicinal applications, emphasizing its role as a valuable natural product in combating oxidative stress and cancer. Future research should aim to isolate and characterize the specific compounds responsible for these bioactivities to develop effective therapeutic agents.