In vitro cytotoxicity, α-glucosidase inhibition, antioxidant, and free radical scavenging activities of Illicium griffithii Hook. f. & Thoms fruits

Illicium griffithii is a medicinal tree species of the temperate broad-leaved forests of North East India; its fruits are used in the pharmaceutical and spice industries. The fruits are used medicinally to treat cough, sinusitis, toothache, regurgitating, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, and food poisoning and are considered carminative, stomachic, and glactagogic. The present study was aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity, α-glucosidase inhibitory potential, antioxidant, and free radical scavenging activities of hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts of I. griffithii fruits. Ethyl acetate extract (EAE) exhibited 78.7 % toxicity at the dose of 500 μg/ml with IC₅₀ value of 300 μg/ml against A549 human adenocarcinoma lung cancer cell line, 50 % α-glucosidase inhibition at 810.32 ± 1.28 μg/ml concentration, and potent scavenging activity at 1,000 μg/ml on DPPH (91.12 % ± 2.08), CUPRAC (2.384 ± 0.03), reducing power (0.847 ± 0.02), lipid peroxidation (55.52 % ± 1.56), hydroxyl (75.83 % ± 1.47), and DMPD (76.12 % ± 1.35). It additionally showed maximum activity at 300 μg/ml on total antioxidant activity (0.290 ± 0.04 GAE mg/g) and FRAP (2.150 ± 0.23 mM Fe²⁺/g). The results demonstrated that EAE possessed marked activity in all the tested biological parameters. On further fractionation, EAE gave an active fraction F3. Two phenolic compounds were isolated and identified (3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) from this fraction for the first time. I. griffithii showed promising cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.