UNVEILING THE PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF HOLOPTELEA INTEGRIFOLIA SEEDS: A STUDY OF PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ANTIOXIDANT, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTICANCER ACTIVITIES

Holoptelea integrifolia (Roxb.) Planch. is a traditionally used medicinal plant containing diverse phytochemicals with significant pharmacological potential. Phytochemical investigations of its leaves, bark, and twigs have identified various bioactive constituents, including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, phenols, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides, stigmasterol, friedelin, and other compounds. Extracts prepared using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and hydroalcoholic solvents demonstrated antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiproliferative activities. In DPPH assays, 70% ethanol extracts of leaves and bark exhibited mild antioxidant activity compared with ascorbic acid. Most tested extracts showed antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal strains, with bark extracts generally producing stronger inhibition than leaf extracts. Furthermore, petroleum ether and 70% ethanol bark extracts demonstrated significant antiproliferative activity against A549 lung and HeLa cervical cancer cell lines, with IC₅₀ values below 20 µg/mL. Chromatographic and spectroscopic investigations also resulted in the isolation and identification of stigmasterol, octamethylcyclohexane-1,4-dione, and di-myo-inositol, including a compound reported as a new phytochemical finding for the species. In addition, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) loaded with H. integrifolia extract were developed to improve antifungal efficacy. The optimized formulation exhibited suitable particle characteristics, approximately 69.9% entrapment efficiency, a particle size of about 218.6 nm, and sustained drug release for 24 hours. The SLN formulation showed enhanced antifungal activity against Candida albicans compared with the free extract. Overall, these findings highlight the therapeutic potential of H. integrifolia and its extracts as sources of antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and antifungal agents.