Comprehensive Evaluation of Colocasia affinis Schott Leaf Extracts: Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial,...

There has been a recent rise in the utilization of complementary herbal medicines as a means to discover efficacious alternative treatments that mitigate the negative consequences of pharmaceuticals. Colocasia affinis Schott is a member of the Araceae family, with various components such as the root, fruit, and leaves utilized for medicinal purposes. This study aims to explore the in vitro phytochemical, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and thrombolytic properties of the ethanolic extract obtained from the leaves of C. affinis (EECA) using an experimental approach. The extract derived from EECA revealed the presence of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, saponins, carbohydrates, amides, phenols, and reducing sugars, and demonstrated remarkable antioxidant activity in the DPPH scavenging assay (IC₅₀ = 60.36 μg/mL). Secondly, five clinical isolates of bacteria, namely, Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio cholerae, were employed to examine the antimicrobial properties of EECA. In the context of thrombolytic activity, EECA demonstrated a noteworthy level of clot lysis (39.086 ± 0.570% and 23.111 ± 0.398%) at doses of 500 and 250 μg/mL, respectively, when compared to streptokinase. Furthermore, EECA exhibited a significant anti-inflammatory effect, as evidenced by the inhibition of protein denaturation (60.24 ± 1.49, 43.81 ± 1.76, and 30.83 ± 2.57) across concentration ranges of 500, 250, and 125 μg/mL. The findings indicated the presence of phytochemicals and notable free radical scavenging activity. EECA exhibited a broad range of antimicrobial activity, along with notable thrombolytic and anti-inflammatory effects. This investigation presents empirical evidence that supports the application of EECA in traditional medicine.