Evaluation of Invitro Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potentials of Phytochemicals Identified from Leaf Extracts of Hibiscus Lobatus Kuntze.

Abstract

Hibiscus lobatus Kuntze. is traditionally, used to sunburn, rheumatic arthritis and healing of diabetic wounds. This study investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of leaf extracts; Phytochemical screening of leaf ethanol extract (LEE) was rich in phenolics (57.96 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (25.33 mg QE/g). HRLCMS profiling of LEE showed the antioxidant compounds namely, genistin, kaempferol 3-rhamnoside 7-xyloside, and 6-deoxyfagomine. LEE demonstrated potent antioxidant activity by quenching the free radicals with IC₅₀ values of 204.43 µg/mL (DPPH) and 188.84 µg/mL (ABTS) and showed high reducing power in the FRAP assay.  In vitro anti-inflammatory activity assessed by protein denaturation, albumin denaturation, and RBC membrane stabilization revealed the lowest IC₅₀ values 331.46 µg/mL, 293.42 µg/mL, and 315.73 µg/mL respectively. These findings suggested the strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Hibiscus lobatus leaves and could serve as a therapeutic source to cure sun burn and inflammatory disorders.