Phytochemical Analysis, Antibacterial, and Antitumor Potential of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn

This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition, antibacterial activity, and antitumor potential of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn, a widely used medicinal plant. Qualitative systematic phytochemical analysis was conducted on flower of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis for determining their antimicrobial and antitumor potential by using disc diffusion method and potato disc bioassay, respectively. Phytochemicals found in chloroform extract of H. rosa-sinensis were alkaloids, betacyanin's, tannins, and quinones in nature while in ethanol extract only alkaloids and betacyanin's were present. The findings demonstrated potent inhibitory effects of the extracts against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Chloroform extract exhibited more significant antibacterial activity as compared to ethanolic extract against various drug resistant pathogens such as Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis. Furthermore, the antitumor activity of the H. rosa-sinensis extract was evaluated using in vitro assays against selected cancer cell-lines. These extracts exhibited significant antiproliferative effects such as ethanolic extract had more significant antitumor activity as compared to chloroform. After 24 h zones of inhibition were analyzed and measured using ruler. The diameter of zones of inhibition of chloroform flower extract against E. coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and B. subtilis, S. typhi was 11, 8, 13, 17, 10, and 23 mm, while ethanolic extract had 6, 0, 6, 10, 7, and 10 mm, zone of inhibition, respectively. Flower extracts by inhibiting the formation of crown gall tumors suggesting their potential as sources of natural anticancer compounds. These results provided valuable insights into the phytochemical composition and therapeutic potential of H. rosa-sinensis. Additional investigations into the bioactive components of H. rosa-sinensis might result in the creation of new antibacterial and anticancer medicines for use in a range of medical applications.