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J Genet Eng Biotechnol
J Genet Eng Biotechnol
Journal of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology
1687-157X
2090-5920
Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt

S1687-157X(24)00113-6
10.1016/j.jgeb.2024.100410
100410
Full Length Article
Evaluating the anti-cancer potential and pharmacological in-sights of Physalis angulata Root Extract as a strong candidate for future research
Pillai Jayachithra Ramakrishna jayachithra@rakmhsu.ac.ae
a
Wali Adil Farooq farooq@rakmhsu.ac.ae
ae⁎
Shivappa Pooja pooja@rakmhsu.ac.ae
b
Talath Sirajunisa sirajunisa@rakmhsu.ac.ae
a
Attia Sabry M. attiasm@gmail.com
c
Nadeem Ahmed anadeem@ksu.edu.sa
c
Rehman Muneeb U. muneebjh@gmail.com
d
a Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, 11172, United Arab Emirates
b Translational Medicinal Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, 11172, United Arab Emirates
c Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
d Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
e Pharmaceutical Chemistry Division, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India
⁎ Corresponding author. farooq@rakmhsu.ac.ae
22 8 2024
12 2024
22 8 2024
22 4 1004106 6 2024
29 7 2024
8 8 2024
© 2024 The Author(s)
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
The research targeting the prevention of complications through natural constituents, instigated by the cancer has recently drawn much more attention over the globe. The research in this direction also revealed that the use of natural constituents would considered a promising strategy for diminishing the aforementioned disease and its consequences. Because of the easy availability and safe nature, the recent years, natural resources as strong anticancer agents. In this regard, here we introduced the possibility of using the methanolic extract of Physalis angulata root as a strong candidate and implemented the applicability of LC-MS to unveil the presence of various phytocompounds. The anticancer potential exhibited by Physalis angulata root followed by its ability to induce toxicity against the microbial population enhanced the interest in unveiling the phytochemical compounds including Absintholide, Curcumin dimer 1, Mytilin A, Ginsenoside F1, Encecalin , Ganoderic acid TQ, Alnustone, Rhamnetin 3-sophoroside, Gibberellin A14 aldehyde, Thiolutin, Euglobal III and Epomusenin B. The presence of various macro and micronutrients suggested that Physalis angulata is a prominent resource for future research targeting pharmacological research, especially anticancer research.

Keywords

Plant
ROS
Antibacterial
Toxicity
Diseases
Drug
Abbreviations

LC-MS Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

TPC Total phenolic content

TFC Total flavonoids content phenolics content

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid

ROS Reactive oxygen species

DPPH 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

NCCS National Centre for Cell Sciences

ATCC American Type Culture Collection

LCL Lower Confidence Limit

HCL Higher Confidence Limit

MTT 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide Assay

ABTS 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid Assay

MeOH Methanol

PA-R-MeOH Physalis angulata Root methanol extract

μg/mL Microgram per millilitre
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pmc1 Introduction

The compounds of botanical origin and plant based remedies have been explored from ancient times due to their therapeutic potential for various illnesses and complications. Recent research trends validated that about 60% of anticancer agents have exhibited their origin from natural resources.1, 2 One of the major added advantages concerning the exploitation of phytocompounds is that they usually generate fewer undesirable side effects rather than synthetic products. Precisely, synthetic sources have been always allied with a lot of complications3 and side effects and hence the products of botanical origin3 can serve as a suitable candidate for the same. Precisely, due to the botanical origin and the presence of various phytochemical constituents having pharmacological potential,4 many of the plants have been recognized as a suitable candidate. One of the basic and initial steps to accomplish the aforementioned target is the analysis of phytochemical constituents, especially the total phenolic content of the plants. In this regard, here we choose the root extract of the medicinal plant Physalis angulata for the total phenolic content analysis as an initial step. The selected plant Physalis angulata has been recognized to be a bushy annual herb, usually having a size of 50 cm in height.5 The potential of Physalis angulata as an efficient stimulant for the immune system made the same to use in scientific research targeting dermatitis, anti-malarial and anti-asthmatic.6, 7 The presence of various phytochemical constituents in the Physalis angulata with strong potential as an antitumor agent against many cancer cell lines directed the authors to choose the root extract of Physalis angulata for evaluating the anti-oxidant potential, TPC, TFC, chemical profiling, elemental analysis, in-vitro cytotoxic activity, and the toxicity towards the microbial population. Certain studies across the globe precisely validated that the physalis species, especially the Physalis angulata L produced strong medicinal potential including antioxidant activity. For this reason, the traditional native Americans use the plants for medicinal purpose.64

According to the various inferences regarding the pharmacological benefits and anti-oxidant potential, it was inferred that the cells of any organism are frequently exposed to a plethora of endogenous and exogenous elements that instigate damage to the genetic material DNA. Such circumstances instigated in the genetic material may make changes in the replication and transcription and it consequently leads to mutation causing uncontrolled cell division and even if results in cell death in many instances. Recent studies unveiled the fact that the damages in the genetic material may increase the level of intracellular Reactive oxygen species (ROS) 20 and the condition where augmented production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the cells is termed oxidative stress. In addition to the toxic inferences towards the genetic material, it was also witnessed that the ROS can damage the lipids and proteins as well and the Oxidative stress has been allied with many pathologies.20, 21 To prevent the drastic effects, it is essential to maintain the balance between the production and scavenging of ROS. One of the major ways to combat such drastic incidents is the utilization of supplements from external natural resources for the antioxidant defence system of the target body. Hence the current investigation also intended to analyze the possibilities of exploiting the Physalis angulate root for the aforesaid benefits.

As introduced earlier, the frequency and impact of cancer in the human population through abnormal cell growth for the past years have elevated in an uncontrolled manner to an alarming level all over the globe. For this reason, pharmacological research has been now focused on the isolation and identification of an efficient novel phytochemical compound of botanical origin having cytotoxic potential to combat cancer. From this point of view, here the authors have used the applicability of MTT cell viability assay followed by LC-MS to identify toxic potential towards the cancerous cells and to identify the major phytochemical constituents respectively. Furthermore, the current study has also been intended to find out the ability of the Physalis angulata to instigate toxicity against selected microbial populations.

2 Materials and Methods

2.1 Plant Collection and Preparation of the Plant Extract

The plant specimen Physalis angulata L. was collected from Kerala, India, and was authenticated at JNTBGRI, Thiruvananthapuram, India. The voucher herbarium specimen (No. 852016) of the aforesaid plant specimen was deposited in JNTBGRI herbarium (TBGT). The shade-dried root of Physalis angulata was proceeded for grinding and 60g of the powdered plant material was used for the extraction. 500 mL of methanol was added to the root powder which was taken in a beaker, followed by extraction using the ultrasonication method for 2 hours. The resulting extract was collected, filtered, and concentrated by solvent evaporation using Rota vapor, yielding approximately 5 g. This extract was then utilized for various activities and subjected to phytochemical screening.

2.2 Phytochemical Evaluation

The preliminary phytochemical evaluation of Physalis angulata root extract was done using the standard protocol.8

2.3 In Vitro Anti-Oxidant Screening

The preliminary phytochemical evaluation of Physalis angulata root extract was done using the standard protocol by DPPH and ABTS* radical scavenging assay.8 Samples of Physalis angulata root extracts at various concentrations (20-100 µg/ml) were prepared for both the screening.

2.3.1 DPPH Assay

The method suggested by9 was used for the DPPH assay to unveil the free radical scavenging potential of the root extract of Physalis angulata. The absorbance was read at 517 nm using the spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, UV-1800). Triplicates were maintained for all the executed experiments and the obtained results were compared with the standard.

2.3.2 ABTS* Assay

The antioxidant activity of the methanol extract from Physalis angulata roots was evaluated using the ABTS assay. This method measures the ability of antioxidants in the extract to neutralize the ABTS radical cation, which is initially blue, by donating electrons. The reduction of ABTS+ causes a color change from blue to green, which was quantified spectrophotometrically using a Shimadzu UV-1800 at 230 nm. The results were compared with those obtained using a standard antioxidant (Ascorbic acid). Triplicates were maintained for all the experiments.

2.4 TPC (Total Phenolic Content) Determination

The TPC (Total Phenolic Content) of the root extract of Physalis angulata was analysed using Folin- Ciocalteau method, suggested by.10 The absorbance was read at 725 nm using the spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, UV-1800). The TPC is calculated using the following equation.Totalphenoliccontent=cV/m

Where, c = concentration; V = extract volume; m = mass

2.5 TFC Determination

The TFC (Total Flavonoid Content) of the root extract of Physalis angulata was analyzed using the aluminum chloride method.11 The absorbance was read at 415 nm using the spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, UV-1800).

The TFC is calculated using the following equation.TFC=cV/m;Where,c=Quercetinconcentration;V=volume;m=mass

2.6 Chemical Profiling of root extract of Physalis angulata using LC-MS

To unveil the presence of various compounds using LC-MS, the Agilent 6200 Series TOF and 6500 Series Q-TOF LC/MS system was used. The conditions for the LC-MS were followed according to the instructions given by the previous study.12

2.7 Elemental Analysis by ICP-OES

The elemental analysis of the root extract of Physalis angulata was done according to the method suggested by previous investigations13, 14. With the aid of ICP-OES, the micro and macronutrients contained in the sample were evaluated.

2.8 Evaluation of In-Vitro Cytotoxic Activity

The root extract of Physalis angulata for the cytotoxic potential was estimated using the MTT assay [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide Assay]. The MTT assay was used to find out the toxic potential of the root extract of Physalis angulata toward the selected cell line. The selected cell line was obtained from the National Centre for Cell Sciences (NCCS), Pune, India. The colorimetric method was implemented to unveil the metabolic activity of cells15 (HeLa-Cervical carcinoma). Further conditions required for the cytotoxic estimation were maintained using the methods suggested by the previous study.14

2.9 Toxicity toward microbial population

Toxicity towards microbial population was analyzed according to the standard procedure.16 The following strains were used for unveiling the toxicity of the plant towards the microbial population; Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Candida albicans (ATCC 90028), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). The Mean ± standard deviation was used to evaluate the data regarding the Zone of Inhibition.

To determine the MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) and MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) the broth microdilution method (BMM) was used.17 To determine the MICs, the lowest concentration of the specific antimicrobial agent that produces significant toxicity was recorded. To determine the value for MBC, the lowest concentration of the specific antimicrobial agent was opted.18

3 Results

3.1 Preliminary Phytochemical Screening

The preliminary phytochemical screening of the root extract of Physalis angulata unveiled that it constitutes various secondary metabolites; alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolics.

3.2 Cytotoxic Studies

The toxic potential of the Physalis angulata root towards the HeLa cell line was verified using the MTT cell viability assay. The dose-dependent manner analysis revealed that cell viability was diminished with extract exposure. Precisely, the recorded cell viability was found to be diminished when the concentration of the extract increased as given in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The LC50 (LCL-HCL) Value - recorded for the current study was found to be 409.495 (192.458-2056.009) µg/mL (Fig. 1).Fig. 1 Probit regression analysis

Fig. 2 Morphological alterations in HeLa cells were observed under varying concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL) of Physalis angulata root extract over 48 hours, alongside control samples. Microscopic examination revealed distinct features in treated and untreated (control) HeLa cells. Increasing concentrations of the extract resulted in cell rounding, indicating potential cell death, as highlighted by arrows

3.3 Invitro Antioxidant Assay

The DPPH and ABTS* assays performed toward the root extract of Physalis angulata validated notable radical scavenging potential. The obtained results were compared with the standard, ascorbic acid. From the results, it was evident that the methanolic extract of Physalis angulata root produced a maximum range of radical scavenging potential. The methanolic extract of the Physalis angulata root produced 67.2% (IC50 58.07) and 64.4 % (IC50 64.37) radical scavenging potentials in DPPH and ABTS* assays, respectively. As illustrated in Fig. 3 the tested extract was validated with a prominent range of radical scavenging potential in both of the assays performed, which made the same an effective candidate for the pharmacological research.Fig. 3 Antioxidant activity of Physalis angulata root extract. (a) DPPH assay (b) ABTS* assay *Error bars represent standard deviations (n = 3).

3.4 Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC)

The TPC and TFC of the root extract of Physalis angulata were evaluated. According to Table 1, the TPC for the methanol extract of Physalis angulata root was reported to be 88.4 ± 4.5, with a calibration curve of R2 0.996. The TFC for the Physalis angulata root was reported as 96.4 ± 4.3 for methanol extract with the calibration curve R2 0.996.Table 1 TPC and TFC of Physalis angulata root extract.

Extract	TPC (*μg GAE/g)	TFC (**μg QE /g)	
Methanol	88.4 ± 4.5	96.4 ± 4.3	
* Total Phenolics Content (TPC) is expressed in terms of Gallic acid equivalent (µg of GA/g).

** Total Flavonoids Content (TFC) is expressed in terms of quercetin equivalent (µg of QE/g)

3.5 Chemical Profiling of Methanolic Extracts of Physalis angulate root using LC-MS Analysis

The present study used the applicability of LC-MS analysis to unveil the presence of various bioactive compounds in Physalis angulate (Fig. 4). The major chemical parameters followed by the structural information of the major compound have been given in the Appendix A, 36, 41, 55, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85. Based on the comparison with various chemical parameters and public databases, the authors have filtered the major bioactive elements having potent pharmacological benefits including anti-cancer, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity. As given in Table S1, the following compounds are predominantly known to possess aforesaid pharmacological benefits including Anti-Cancer, Antioxidant Activity and Anti-bacterial activity; Tyrosol 4-sulfate; Bismahanine; Curcumin dimer 1; Mytilin A; Ganodermic acid TQ; Absintholide; Ginsenoside F1; Encecalin; Thiacremonone; Limonene-1,2-epoxide; Lepidiumsesterterpenol; 10,12-Pentacosanedione; 7,9-Hexacosanedione; Stigmastentriol; 16-Acetylpriverogenin A; Pithecelloside; Ramentaceone; Squamone; 4-tert-Butylphenol ; Cinncassiol C1 19-glucoside; Thiolutin; Sinapoylspermine; Pectenotoxin 7; Hydroxytyrosol 1-O-glucoside ; Lablaboside D; Alnustone; Rhamnetin 3-sophoroside; Lucidenic acid F; Piperyline; Ginsenoyne; Corchoroside B; Gibberellin A14 aldehyde; Withaperuvin B; Euglobal III; Epomusenin B; and Perilloside. From the major findings in this regard, it was perceived that these elements are may responsible for the potent pharmacological benefits of Physalis angulata. Once we focussed on the anti-cancer potential, it was perceived that the following compounds are known to possess anti-cancer activity; Curcumin dimer 1, Mytilin A, Absintholide, Ginsenoside F1, Encecalin, Ganoderic acid TQ, Alnustone, Rhamnetin 3-sophoroside, Gibberellin A14 aldehyde, Euglobal III, and Epomusenin B. As given in Fig. 5, The aforesaid circumstance probably validated the fact that these elements are the possible compounds that are responsible for the anti-cancer potential in the current study.Fig. 4 The LC-MS chromatographic profile provides a detailed representation of the complete scan chromatography of the methanolic extract derived from the roots of Physalis angulata.

Fig. 5 The primary compounds' possible mechanisms of action against the cancer cell line include cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, and anti-metastasis effects.

3.6 Elemental Analysis

The ICP OES was used to perform the elemental analysis of the Physalis angulata root. The current study has witnessed the presence of various macro and micronutrients from the Physalis angulata root. As given in Table 2, the Physalis angulata root consists of 523 mg/kg, 2.0 mg/kg, 765 mg/kg, 653 mg/kg, and 634 mg/kg of Calcium, Chromium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Phosphorus respectively. Furthermore, it was also perceived that the Physalis angulata root consists of major microelements including Boron, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sodium, Nickel, Vanadium, Zinc, and Aluminum. The presence of other elements such as Silver, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Lead, Tin, and Strontium has also been witnessed in the current study.Table 2 Elemental Analysis of Physalis angulata root using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis.

Macro-elements	
S. No	Elements	P. angulata root (mg/kg)	
1	Calcium	523	
2	Chromium	2.0	
3	Potassium	765	
4	Magnesium	653	
5	Phosphorus	634	


	
Micro-elements	
	Elements	P. angulata root (mg/kg)	
1	Boron	10.0	
2	Cobalt	<0.1	
3	Copper	37.7	
4	Iron	238.8	
5	Manganese	18.6	
6	Molybdenum	3.2	
7	Sodium	232	
8	Nickel	4.5	
9	Vanadium	1.5	
10	Zinc	15.5	
11	Aluminum	417.23	


	
Other elements	
1	Silver	0.2	
2	Arsenic	<0.1	
3	Barium	56.1	
4	Beryllium	<0.1	
5	Cadmium	0.3	
6	Lead	0.4	
7	Tin	<0.1	
8	Strontium	28.8	

3.7 Toxic potential towards the microbial population

The toxic potential of the Physalis angulata root towards the microbial population using the serial dilution technique has been verified in this strand. As given in Table 3, the tested methanolic extract produced a strong zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Candida albicans (ATCC 90028) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) with MIC and MBC. Furthermore, as per the data displayed in Fig. 6, the ability of the same to instigate toxic potential towards the biofilm has also been investigated in the current study.Table 3 Toxic potential of Physalis angulata root towards various microbial strains.

Sample	MIC	MBC	Well Diffusion	
Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922)	
PA-R-MeOH	1:16	1:8	Zone of inhibition observed.	


	
Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923)	
PA-R-MeOH	1:16	1:4	Zone of inhibition observed.	


	
Candida albicans (ATCC 90028)	
PA-R-MeOH	1:32	1:16	Zone of inhibition observed.	


	
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853)	
PA-R-MeOH	1:16	1:4	Zone of inhibition observed.	

Fig. 6 Toxic potential towards biofilm of Physalis angulata root extract

4 Discussion

The frequency of complications allied with one of the major non-communicable disease Cancer reported to by increased every year and for this reason the cancer is recognized as the second most leading disease after cardiovascular disease. In addition to the reported complications, the morbidity and mortality instigated by the diseases forced the scientific community to search for effective treatment strategies. Because of the many disadvantages possessed by the synthetic products, the recent research trends have focused on the natural products for anti-cancer research. From this point of view, recent studies have implemented the applicability of using external sources, especially plant-based resources.42, 43, 44, 52, 53, 54, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63 for aforesaid pharmacological benefits. In this regard, the first strand of the current study has focused on the preliminary phytochemical evaluation and witnessed the presence of various secondary metabolites in the root. As a follow-up, the next strand of the study has focused on the ability of the root extract of Physalis angulata to produce maximum potential against the cancer cell line. In addition to this, this study has focused on the chemical profiling of the methanolic extract of Physalis angulata by using LC-MS and identified the presence of the various compounds responsible for the pharmacological benefits. The compounds reported in the current study have previously been known to possess significant pharmacological benefits.

For instance, the pharmacological benefits of tyrosol metabolites with special reference to the anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activity were reviewed and reported in previous studies.24, 25 They have also mentioned the pharmacological benefits of curcumin56, which is enlisted as the major compound in the current study. The anticancer potential of another compound Bismahanine towards human cervical cancer cells was witnessed by various studies.25, 57, 58 Furthermore, some of the other compounds in the current study are also known to produce cytotoxic effects and hence this study has performed the MTT cell viability assay and found that the recorded cell viability was found to be diminished when the concentration of the extract increased. According to the findings of the previous studies27 it was reported that leaf extracts of Physalis angulata can be used to produce a prominent range of cytotoxicity effects in ovary cancer and human blood cell lines. Rather than our previous study, none have reported the cytotoxicity effects of Physalis angulata leaf and fruit in MCF-7, HeLa, and DLD-1 cells. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effects of Physalis angulata root extract have not yet been investigated in earlier studies and it justified the uniqueness of the current results.

As reported earlier, the Physalis angulata root extract produced a prominent range of toxicity against the microbial population and the findings revealed that a significant zone of inhibition has been observed against the Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Candida albicans (ATCC 90028) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). Similar findings concerning the toxic potential of other parts of Physalis angulata have been reported by earlier studies.31, 32, 33, 34, 35 Altogether, the findings from the current study revealed that Physalis angulata root can be recognized as a prominent resource for the major phytochemical constituents26 and the presence of such compounds made the same an effective candidate for future research targeting pharmacological research.

While unveiling the possible reason behind the various anomalies including cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, Cancer, inflammation, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cataracts,19, 37, 38 it was inferred that oxidative stress instigated by free radicals acts as the predominant elements. For this reason, the elevation of frequency allied with oxidative stress-related diseases has become a serious concern all over the globe.19, 37, 38 The oxidative stress is recognized as a condition where the excessive production of free radicals happens39, 40 and it may result in severe circumstances including cellular lipid peroxidation60, 61, 62 and DNA damage.60 Hence, to maintain homeostasis and to combat complications including cancer, the production of antioxidants through any external source is preferable in many instances. Our previous investigation has reported the radical scavenging potential of the leaf and fruit of Physalis angulata. However, the studies concerning the radical scavenging potential of the extract of Physalis angulata have not yet been conducted previously, which justifies the uniqueness of the current findings. The result obtained from the current study hence has strongly recommended Physalis angulata as a strong candidate for various pharmacological benefits targeting oxidative stress and radical scavenging potential. Similar to these findings,20, 21, 45, 46, 47, 48 verified the possibilities of using plant extracts to combat oxidative stress and complications by maintaining the equilibrium. According to the findings by22, 49, 50, 51, 52, it was perceived that the major phytochemical constituents including the Flavonoids and phenols are probably responsible for the aforesaid activity. According to this point of view, the authors have unveiled the TPC and TFC of the root extract of Physalis angulata and found that the selected extract produced a maximum range of TPC and TFC. Precisely, the methanolic extract was known to produce a maximum TPC of 88.4 μg GAE/g and TFC of 96.4 μg QE /g. In agreement with these findings,23 reported the potent antioxidant activity of selected methanolic extracts along with their detoxification possibilities, which justifies the possibility that the antioxidant potential of the root extract of Physalis angulata might be due to the presence of the various phytochemical constituents belonging.

As done by28, the current study also performed the elemental analysis of Physalis angulata and found that Calcium, Chromium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Phosphorus are the predominant macro-nutrients.29 Moreover, the presence of various macro and micronutrients including Boron, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sodium, Nickel, Vanadium, Zinc, and Aluminum30 along with other minerals such as Silver, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Lead, Tin and Strontium has also been validated in the current investigation. According to the conclusive remarks, more than 58 compounds with potent pharmacological benefits including anti-cancer potential were enlisted in the current study. The presence of discussed compounds in this study hence strongly recommended the root extract of Physalis angulata as a prominent source of major compounds that can be used for pharmacological benefits, especially for anti-cancer applications.

5 Conclusions

Over the past few years, medicines of botanical origin have been widely used as effective agents for the treatment and prevention of various diseases including cancer across the globe. In this regard, the current study has focused on the anticancer potential of the Physalis angulata root and found that the methanolic extract produced a prominent range of toxicity against the HeLa cell line. As found in many studies, the various triggering factors allied with the emergence of cancer include the excessive production of free radicals which simultaneously results in oxidative stress. Because of this reason, this study has analyzed the scavenging potential and found that the methanolic extract also produced a considerable range of radical scavenging potential and a similar pattern has been found for the TPC and TFC values. The ability of the Physalis angulata root to produce toxicity against the following microbial population made the same an effective candidate for pharmacological research; Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Candida albicans (ATCC 90028) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). Furthermore, the use of efficient advanced approaches including LC-MS to unveil and identify the presence of various phytochemical compounds indicated the possibility that the above-discussed potential of Physalis angulata root might be induced by the reported phytochemical compounds. Hence, the current study strongly recommends the Physalis angulata root as a significant resource for various predominant phytocompounds for pharmacological research to combat the drastic effects instigated by cancerous cells, oxidative stress, and microbial population.

Funding

The authors are highly thankful to researchers supporting project number (RSP2024R124), King Saud University, Riyadh Saudi Arabia for providing funding to this study.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Jayachithra Ramakrishna Pillai: Software, Methodology, Data curation, Conceptualization. Adil Farooq Wali: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Conceptualization. Pooja Shivappa: Writing – original draft, Resources, Investigation, Data curation. Sirajunisa Talath: Writing – original draft, Software, Resources, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. Sabry M. Attia: Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Validation, Software, Formal analysis. Ahmed Nadeem: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Validation, Resources, Project administration, Methodology. Muneeb U. Rehman: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Data curation.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Appendix A Supplementary data

The following are the Supplementary data to this article:Supplementary Data 1

Data Availability Statement

The data analyzed during the present investigation are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge and extend their appreciation to researchers supporting project number (RSP2024R124) at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The authors wish to express their gratitude to RAK Medical and Health Sciences University for their assistance with this research project under reference RAKMHSU-REC-164-2020/21-F-P. Authors are grateful to the Institution heads, for providing infrastructural support to execute this work.

Appendix A Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgeb.2024.100410.
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