Phytochemical profiling and therapeutic potential of <i>Miliusa velutina</i> var. <i>deviyarina</i>: Antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and α-amylase inhibitory activities

Miliusa velutina Hook. f. and Thomson var. deviyarina (Annonaceae) is a lesser-known medicinal tree traditionally used by tribal and local communities in Maharashtra, India. However, its pharmacological profile has not been systematically characterized. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant, α-amylase inhibition, antimicrobial, antibiofilm and anticancer activities of different extracts of this variety. Bark, leaf, fruit and flower powders were successively extracted with water, methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate and alcohol–water mixtures. Antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, α-amylase inhibition by α-amylase inhibition, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities by agar well diffusion and biofilm inhibition assays, and anticancer activity by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays on MCF-7 and Vero cell lines. Methanol, ethanol and ethyl-acetate bark and leaf extracts showed strong DPPH scavenging with low IC₅₀ values comparable to quercetin and vitamin C. Green and ripe fruit extracts produced up to 89.57% α-amylase inhibition, while bark extracts showed moderate inhibition (37.50–61.25%). Bark extracts exhibited pronounced antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects, with maximum biofilm inhibition of 95.45% and zones of inhibition comparable to penicillin and streptomycin at 50 µg/mL. The ethyl-acetate bark extract displayed potent cytotoxicity toward MCF-7 cells (GI₅₀ < 10 µg/mL) with relatively lower effects on Vero cells, approaching the activity of Adriamycin. These in vitro findings highlight M. velutina var. deviyarina as a promising source of bioactive extracts and provide a multi-assay dataset to guide future phytochemical characterization and in vivo evaluation of this understudied medicinal plant.