COMPARATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF PHLOGACANTHUS THYRSIFLORUS NEES: IMPLICATIONS ON ATTENUATION OF PRO-OXIDANTS AND PATHOGEN VIRULENCE IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS MODEL SYSTEM

Objectives: Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus Nees of Acanthaceae family is endogenous to sub-tropical Himalayas. It has been reported to be usedtraditionally in Jaintia tribe of Meghalaya, India, for the treatment of many ailments. The aim was to detect the active compounds present in the leavesand evaluation of its in vitro free radicals scavenging potential. Leaves protective effects in vivo will be investigated using Caenorhabditis elegans model system utilizing wild type and mutant strains and the phenomena of host-pathogen interactions.Methods: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for detection of different compounds present. The versatility of leaf extracts to scavengedifferent free radicals generated in vitro was assessed with different in vitro methods. Survival analysis of wild type and mutant strains C. elegansunder enhanced pro-oxidants exposure was investigated in vivo. The fast killing assay was also performed to study the extracts modulatory activitieson host C. elegans survival under pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.Results: About 40 compounds were detected in methanolic fraction of the extract with variable percentages. Both aqueous and methanol extractpossessed remarkable, versatile free radical scavenging activity irrespective of the types of free radical generated. The in vivo experiments are incompliance with observable increased survival ability percentage of C. elegans under intense exogenous oxidative stress and pathogen infection.Conclusion: Our findings enlightened the different bioactive compounds present with versatility of P. thyrsiflorus in tackling different free radicalsgenerated both in vitro and in vivo that highly support for its candidature as a good antioxidant source. Our findings may justify the historical relevanceof this plant in herbal remedies that could form the basis for inquiry of new active principles