Bioactive Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Syzygium occidentale: Insights into an Underexplored Western Ghats Species

Abstract Introduction: Plants are a major source of medicine and have a significant impact on global health because of their medicinal properties, plants in the genus Syzygium, are used in the traditional medicinal systems of several Asian countries. Native to the Western Ghats, the Syzygium occidentale (Bourd.) Gandhi (Myrtaceae) is a beautiful little riparian tree that flourishes along the banks of shallow streams. Present study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the bioactive compounds and their pharmacological relevance present in Syzygium occidentale. Results: The phytochemical and nutritional analysis of S. occidentale shows that leaves are rich in vitamin C (198±1.23 mg/100 g), vitamin A (0.06±0.004 mg/100 g), manganese (10.94±1.005 mg/100 g), and crude fibre (20.12±1.01 %), while bark contains higher levels of calcium (2.10±0.005 %), alcohol-soluble extractives (17.21±1.02 %), and total ash (8.14±0.002 %). Leaf powders exhibited greenish, bluish, and yellowish fluorescence, whereas bark powders predominantly showed brownish to dark shades. GC-MS analysis showed leaves were rich in amphiphilic phenolic lipid like cyclogallipharaol and 3-pentadecylphenol with peak area 46.67% and 42.72% respectively, while bark predominantly contained fatty acid methyl ester mainly methyl palmitate (32.16%) and methyl octadec-10-enoate (26.45%) along with minor aromatic compounds. Leaves demonstrated greater DPPH activity (154.24 ± 1.10) and higher FRAP values (48 ± 1.20), indicating stronger reducing power. The anthelmintic activity of S. occidentale methanol extracts against Lumbricus terrestris showed a dose-dependent effect. The antimicrobial assay of S. occidentale methanol extracts also showed moderate antifungal and antibacterial activity in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: In order to bridge the gaps between traditional knowledge it is useful to examine this species for its bioactive chemicals and biological activity. This work provides a new information, integrating many biological tests with in-depth chemical profiling, showing S. occidentale as a potential natural source of anthelmintic, antibacterial, and antioxidant compounds.