Rhamnus prinoides L’Herit (R. prinoides) has long been widely consumed as folk medicine in Kenya and other Africa countries. Previous studies indicated that polyphenols were abundant in genus Rhamnus and exhibited outstanding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, there are very few studies on such pharmacological activities and the polyphenol profile of this plant up to now. In the present study, the antioxidant activities of the crude R. prinoides extracts (CRE) and the semi-purified R. prinoides extracts (SPRE) of polyphenol enriched fractions were evaluated to show the strong radical scavenging effects against 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazyl (DPPH) (0.510 ± 0.046 and 0.204 ± 0.005, mg/mL), and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (0.596 ± 0.005 and 0.096 ± 0.004, mg/mL), respectively. Later, the SPRE with higher contents of polyphenols and flavonoids displayed obvious anti-inflammatory activities through reducing the NO production at the dosage of 11.11 − 100 μg/mL, and the COX-2 inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ value at 20.61 ± 0.13 μg/mL. Meanwhile, the HPLC-UV/ESI-MS/MS analysis of polyphenol profile of R. prinoides revealed that flavonoids and their glycosides were the major ingredients, and potentially responsible for its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. For the first time, the present study comprehensively demonstrated the chemical profile of R. prinoides, as well as noteworthy antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which confirmed that R. prinoides is a good natural source of polyphenols and flavonoids, and provided valuable information on this medicinal plant as folk medicine and with good potential for future healthcare practice.

Many species belonging to the genus Echinops are widely used in traditional medicine to treat infectious diseases and cancers. The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antiproliferative properties of Echinops lanceolatus Mattf. (Asteraceae). The activity of the methanolic extract and subsequent partition fractions was investigated against drug-resistant bacteria (Gram-negative and Gram-positive) and human tumor cell lines using broth microdilution and sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, respectively. Our findings revealed weak to moderate antibacterial activities of tested extracts, with the recorded minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 256 to 1024 µg/mL. The ethyl acetate fraction (EL-EA) was found to be the most effective. Likewise, that fraction displayed strong antiproliferative potential with recorded IC₅₀ of 8.27 µg/mL and 28.27 µg/mL on A549 and HeLa cells, respectively. An analysis based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESI–MS/MS) of the EL-EA fraction allowed the identification of 32 compounds, of which quinic acid and derivatives, cinnamic acid derivatives, dihydrokaempferol, naringenin-7-O-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-d-glucoside, naringin, apigenin, rhoifolin, coniferyl aldehyde, and secoisolariciresinol are well-known compounds of biological importance. This study is first to report on the biological activity and phytochemical profile of E. lanceolatus. We provide a baseline to consider E. lanceolatus as a valuable source of anti-infective and antiproliferative agents.

Ficus glumosa Delile (Moraceae), a reputed plant that is used in herbal medicine, is of high medicinal and nutritional value in local communities primarily ascribed to its phytochemical profile. Currently, there are hardly any fine details on the chemical profiling and pharmacological evaluation of this species. In this study, the flavonoids and phenolics contents of the ethanol extracts and four extracted fractions (petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol, and water) of the stem bark of Ficus glumosa were firstly quantified. Further, their antioxidant and antiproliferative potentials were also evaluated. The quantitative determination indicated that the EA and n-butanol fractions possessed the highest total flavonoids/phenolics levels of 274.05 ± 0.68 mg RE/g and 78.87 ± 0.97 mg GAE/g, respectively. Similarly, for the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, the EA fraction exhibited high potency in both DPPH and ABTS⁺ scavenging activities with IC₅₀ values of 0.23 ± 0.03 mg/mL, 0.22 ± 0.03 mg/mL, and FRAP potential of 2.81 ± 0.01 mg Fe²⁺/g, respectively. Furthermore, the EA fraction displayed high cytotoxicity against human lung (A549) and colon (HT-29) cancer cells. Additionally, the liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was employed in order to characterize the chemical constituents of the EA fraction of Ficus glumosa stem bark. Our findings revealed 16 compounds from the EA fraction that were possibly responsible for the strong antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties. This study provides edge-cutting background information on the exploitation of Ficus glumosa as a potential natural antioxidant and anti-cancer remedy.