Developmental Stage-Wise Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Saponin-Enriched Fractions From...

Identification and quantification of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants like Trillium govanianum are crucial for ensuring consistent bio-efficacy. In this study, a total of 16 chemical entities were identified from T. govanianum for the first time through UHPLC-QToF-MS/MS-based analysis. Phytochemicals from juvenile, young, and mature rhizomes were further fractionated using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water solvents. Solvent-specific variation was observed in the yields of fractionated phytochemicals, which ranged from 0.45% to 0.64% in ethyl acetate, 1.87% to 4.91% in n-butanol, and 7.36% to 9.52% in water. Notably, UHPLC-ELSD quantification revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction contained 0.589-0.876 mg g^-1 of specific saponins, with the highest dioscin content (0.470-0.812 mg g^-1) observed in young rhizomes. n-Butanol fraction yielded 7.53-30.75 mg g^-1 of saponins, predominantly containing protodioscin (6.28-27.76 mg g^-1). In silico pharmacological profiling indicated strong antifungal (0.784) and antibacterial (0.602) activities of protodioscin. The crude extract showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16 µg mL^-1 against Candida albicans. Among the fractionated phytochemicals, the ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest antifungal activity, with an MIC of 64 µg mL^-1. These findings highlight the significance of both the type and concentration of bioactive compounds in T. govanianum and are critical for optimizing its therapeutic applications.