Phytochemical Analysis and Multifaceted Biomedical Activities of Nitraria retusa Extract as Natural Product-Based Therapies
Manal M. Khowdiary, Zinab Alatawi, Amirah Alhowiti, Mohamed A. Amin, Hussam Daghistani, Faisal Miqad K. Albaqami, Mohamed Ali Abdel‐Rahman, Ahmed Ghareeb, Nehad A. Shaer, Ahmed M. Shawky, Amr Fouda
Abstract
This study examined the phytochemical profile and biomedical activities of Nitraria retusa, a halophytic and drought-resistant shrub. HPLC analysis showed gallic acid (1905.1 μg/g), catechin (1984.1 μg/g), and ellagic acid (2671.1 μg/g) as the primary constituents, while FT-IR analysis revealed a complex organic profile with significant functional groups. The extract demonstrated strong antioxidant activity in DPPH assays, outperforming ascorbic acid (IC50 = 18.7 ± 1.0 μg/mL) with an IC50 of 16.4 ± 4.4 μg/mL. It demonstrated specific antiproliferative effects on cancer cell lines as it showed selective cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines; normal WI38 cells were largely unaffected, showing 50.0% viability at 125 μg/mL. The most sensitive cell line was Caco2, which showed 50.0% viability at 125 μg/mL. Anti-diabetic properties were exhibited by means of inhibition of α-amylase (IC50 = 68.2 ± 4.2 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 22.8 ± 3.3 μg/mL). Additionally, antimicrobial activity was observed to be broad-spectrum, and it was most effective against E. coli (32.6 mm inhibition zone at 400 μg/mL) and Penicillium glabrum (35.3 mm at 400 μg/mL). These findings highlight the potential of N. retusa in developing plant-based therapeutic approaches.