Plantago boissieri: Phytochemical Assessment, Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Wound Healing Potential

Plantago is a large genus under family Plantaginaceae. Several Plantago species were noted for potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities. The current research investigated the potential bioactivities as well as the metabolic content of Plantago boisserei extract. Results highlighted the rich content of phenolics (450.93±7.4 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoids (144.2±3.6 mg RE/g extract) in this species. HPLC analysis enabled the detection of 17 phenolic constituents among which ellagic acid was found in highest concentration (52.94 mg/g) followed by rutin (6.72 mg/g). Furthermore, P. boisserei extract exhibited a potent antioxidant activity evidenced by the IC₅₀ values in ABTS and H₂O₂ assays (10.95 and 10.87 μg/mL, respectively) as well as in TAC assay (67.94 mg AAE/g). The anti-microbial activities of the extract revealed a moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris. In vitro testing of the anti-inflammatory potential indicated a characteristic inhibition against COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes with IC₅₀ 62.8 and 14.23 μg/mL, respectively, compared to ibuprofen (IC₅₀ 8.07 and 6.58, respectively). Additionally, P. boisserei extract achieved a potent wound healing activity using in vivo rat model, this might be attributed to its high content of flavonoids together with other polyphenolic compounds that have a great free radical scavenging potential. In conclusion, P. boisserei is a promising candidate for more extensive phytochemical and biological exploration.