Pharmacological activity, phytochemical analysis and toxicity of methanol extract of Etlingera elatior (torch ginger) flowers

AbstractObjectiveTo elucidate its pharmacological activities and medicinal potential of extract of Etlingera elatior (E. elatior).MethodsPhytochemical screening of the flower extract was done to determine the phytochemical in the extract. The pharmacological study included the determination of antimicrobial activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of metabolic flower extract. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was tested against medically important bacterial, yeast and fungal strains. Apart from that, the methanolic extract of E. elatior flower was further tested in vivo toxicity using the brine shrimp lethality test. Moreover, the flower extract was qualitatively screened for their free radical scavenging activity by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay.ResultsThe extract was effective on tested microorganisms and MIC values were in the range of 1.563-50.000 mg/mL. The brine shrimp lethality test exhibited no significant toxicity (LC50 = 2.52 mg/mL) against Artemia salina. The E. elatior flower extract with high LC50 value signified that this plant is not toxic to humans. While the phytochemical screening of the flower extract revealed the presence of the following compounds: flavonoids, terpenoids, saponin, tannins and carbohydrates whereas, alkaloids, anthraquinone and reducing sugars were absent. The concentration of the flower extract required for 50% inhibition of DPPH radical scavenging effect (IC50) were 9.14 mg/mL and 8.08 mg/mL for butylated hydroxytoluene 8.08 mg/mL.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that the extract of E. elatior flower possesses pharmacological properties and potential to develop natural products based pharmaceuticals products