Ranunculus arvensis L. (R. arvensis) has long been used to treat a variety of medical conditions such as arthritis, asthma, hay fever, rheumatism, psoriasis, gut diseases and rheumatic pain. Here, we screened R. arvensis for antioxidant activity, phytochemical and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. The chloroform, chloroform:methanol, methanol, methanol:acetone, acetone, methanol:water and water extracts of R. arvensis were examined for DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay, hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay, phosphomolybdenum assay, reducing power assay, flavonoid content, phenolic content and high performance liquid chromatography analysis. Significant antioxidant activity was displayed by methanol extract (IC 50 34.71 ± 0.02) in DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Total flavonoids and phenolics ranged 0.96–6.0 mg/g of extract calculated as rutin equivalent and 0.48–1.43 mg/g of extract calculated as gallic acid equivalent respectively. Significant value of rutin and caffeic acid was observed via high performance liquid chromatography. These results showed that extracts of R. arvensis exhibited significant antioxidant activities. Moreover, R. arvensis is a rich source of rutin, flavonoids and phenolics.

Plants are an essential source for discovering novel medical compounds for drug development, and secondary metabolites are sources of medicines from plants. Secondary metabolites include alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, coumarins, quinones, carotenoids, and steroids. Each year, several new secondary metabolites are extracted from plants, providing a source of possibilities to investigate against malignant illnesses, despite certain natural chemicals having distinct anticancer activities according to their physicochemical features. Secondary metabolites found in plants are frequently great leads for therapeutic development. However, changes in the molecular structure of these compounds are improving their anticancer activity and selectivity and their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion capacities while minimizing their toxicity and side effects. In this section, we will discuss the most significant breakthroughs in the field of plant secondary metabolites, some of which are currently in clinical use and others that are in clinical trials as anticancer drugs. This study gives an up-to-date and thorough summary of secondary plant metabolites and their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer effects. Furthermore, antioxidant and antibacterial, and anticancer effects of secondary metabolites are addressed. As a result, this article will serve as a thorough, quick reference for people interested in secondary metabolite antioxidants, anticancer, and antibacterial properties.

Nanotechnology has vast applications in almost all fields of science and technology. The use of medicinal plants for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles has gained much attention nowadays. In the current research work, six medicinal plants were used for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and iron nanoparticles (FeNPs). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by different techniques including UV-visible spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, the activities of green synthesized nanoparticles were screened in vitro using, for example, antibacterial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and DNA protection assays. Both FeNPs and AuNPs had spherical shapes with an average size less than 50nm and were found to have good antimicrobial and nontoxic effects. Furthermore, FeNPs from Ficus microcarpa demonstrated high drug loading efficiency (65) as compared to an anti-inflammatory drug (diclofenac potassium, DFP). We also evaluated the drug delivery potential, as well as anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties, of nanoparticles in vivo. Interestingly, AuNPs of Syzygium cumini exhibited strong anti-inflammatory potential as compared to DFP and diclofenac-loaded FeNPs of Ficus microcarpa. The results suggest potential pharmacological applications of biogenic synthesized AuNPs and FeNPs which can be explored further. The study revealed that the green synthesized AuNPs and FeNPs provide a promising approach for the synthesis of drug-loaded nanoparticles and consequently in the field of targeted drug delivery.

A new acylhydrazone fluorescence probe, SPBH, was synthesized from salicylaldehyde and 4-(pyridin-4-yl)benzohydrazide (PBH). SPBH exhibited high selectivity and a sensitive fluorescence response towards Al3+, even in the presence of other competing metal ions in DMF/H2O (1 : 1, v/v) medium. And, the chemosensor can even detect Al3+ in the intracellular region of human non-small cell lung cancer H460 cells. The binding phenomenon of SPBH was investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy and HR-MS. Mass spectrometry analysis showed a 1 : 1 complex formation of SPBH with Al3+. The Job plot also confirmed its 1 : 1 interaction. This SPBH/Al3+ complex exhibited excellent fluorescence “turn-off” properties towards the F− anion. Thus, SPBH acts as a sequential fluorescence “Off–On–Off” probe. The limits of detection for Al3+ and F− were calculated from the titration curve and found to be 1.1 × 10−7 M and 1.47 × 10−6 M, respectively.