Phytochemical analysis of medicinally important constituents of teucrium stocksianum boiss

Medicinal plants have an illimitable source of natural compounds for drug development. The study was conducted to authenticate the pharmacological importance of Teucrium stocksianum boiss using different biological assays. Dried powder from the leaves of the Teucrium stocksianum boiss was used to get crude extract with methanol and the resultant yield crude extract was further partitioned with different solvents in an increasing polarity. The extracts were assessed for phytochemicals, thin layer chromatography, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antitumor, antihemolytic, antimicrobial and antituberculosis activity employing different solvents systems. The solvent fractions were assessed for in-vitro antioxidant assays to compute the quenching ability of H2O2 and ethanolic extracts were found more potent to scavenge free radicals (19.2±0.43 μg/ml) as compared to other fractions. The aqueous extracts were found more effective in reducing power assay by showing the highest EC50 value of i.e. 5.5±0.81μg/ml. Significant cytotoxicity against brine shrimp was manifested by ethanol (150.62 μg/ml) and chloroform (138.2 μg/ml) extracts while a conspicuous antitumor activity against Agrobacterium tumefaecins was exhibited by ethanol extracts (87.9±0.02). A moderate antihemolytic activity was noticeable by ethanol and chloroform extracts. Our study highlights the importance of different solvent extraction procedures in the processing of natural products. It also indicates that this study might be a valuable source of natural antioxidants to obstruct the damage linked to free radicals. Therefore, T. Stocksianum boiss could be potentially useful in food and pharmaceutical industry. (author)