Biochemical profile and bioactive potential of wild folk medicinal plants of Zygophyllaceae from Balochistan, Pakistan.

Recent focus is on analysis of biological activities of extracts from plant species. Zygophyllaceae is exceedingly important angiosperm family with many taxa being used in folk medicines widely dispersed in arid and semi-arid zones of Balochistan, Pakistan. Only a small proportion of them have been scientifically analyzed and many species are nearly facing extinction. Therefore present investigation explores the biochemical and bioactive potential of fourteen folk medicinal plants usually used for treatments of different ailments. Fresh aerial parts of nine taxa and two fruit samples were collected from plants growing in arid and semi-arid zones of Balochistan and analyzed for enzymatic, non-enzymatic and other biochemical activities. Higher phytochemical activities were detected in the aerial parts. Superoxide dismutase was detected maximum in Fagonia indica, (184.7{+/-}5.17 units/g), ascorbate peroxidase in Tribulus longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (947.5{+/-}12.5 Units/g), catalase and peroxidase was higher in Peganum harmala (555.0{+/-}5.0 and 2597.8{+/-}0.4 units/g respectively). Maximum esterase and alpha amylase activity was found in Zygophyllum fabago (14.3{+/-}0.44 and 140{+/-}18.8 mg/g respectively). Flavonoid content was high in T. longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (666.1{+/-}49 g/ml). The highest total phenolic content and tannin was revealed in F. olivieri (72125{+/-}425 and 37050{+/-}1900 M/g. respectively). Highest value of ascorbic acid was depicted in F. bruguieri var. rechingeri (448{+/-}1.5 g/g). Total soluble Proteins and reducing sugars were detected higher in P. harmala (372.3{+/-}54 and 5.9{+/-}0.1 mg/g respectively). Maximum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was depicted in Z. simplex (16.9{+/-}0.01 M/g). Pigment analysis exhibited the high value of lycopene and total carotenoids in T. terrestris (7.44{+/-}0.2 and 35.5{+/-}0.0 mg/g respectively). Chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content was found maximum in T. longipetalus subsp. pterophorus (549.1{+/-}9.9, 154.3{+/-}10 and 703.4{+/-}20.2 ug/g respectively). All taxa exhibited anti-inflammatory activity as well as anti-diabetic inhibitory potential. Seed extracts of Zygophyllum eurypterum (96%) exhibited highest inhibitory potential, along with twelve other taxa of Zygophyllaceae indicated (96-76%) activity when compared with the standard drug diclofenac sodium (79%). Seeds of T. longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (85%) exhibited the highest anti-diabetic activity; other eleven taxa also exhibited inhibitory activity of -amylase ranging from (85-69%) compared with Metformin (67%) standard drug. Phytochemical screening revealed that selected taxa proved to be the potential source of natural antioxidants and could further be explored for in-vivo studies and utilized in pharmaceutical industries as potent therapeutic agents validating their ethno-pharmacological uses.