Metabolic Profiling, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Potential of Himalayan Verbascum thapsus L

This study investigates the phytochemical composition and pharmacological potential of Verbascum thapsus L. leaf extracts. Cold maceration with solvents of increasing polarity (hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and methanol) yielded extracts rich in phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins, as confirmed by phytochemical screening and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) detection of aldehydes, ketones, and aliphatic and aromatic groups. LC-MS analysis further identified key bioactive constituents, including daidzein, ellagic acid, sinapinic acid, and scutellarin. Among the tested extracts, polar solvents exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity. The methanol extract showed notable activity in the DPPH assay (IC₅₀ = 275.16 ± 14.68 µg/mL) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (302.82 ± 26.39 µM), while the ethanol extract also demonstrated strong activity in both the DPPH assay (IC₅₀ = 303.31 ± 2.64 µg/mL) and FRAP assay (334.75 ± 13.12 µM). In antibacterial assessments, the ethanolic extract was most effective, exhibiting significant potency against Staphylococcus aureus with an inhibition zone of 16.8 mm and a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 31.5 µg/mL. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the remarkable bioactivities of V. thapsus are directly linked to its rich profile of antioxidant and antimicrobial phytochemicals, strongly supporting its potential as a valuable source of natural therapeutic agents.