Composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of different polarity extracts of Anaphalis busua from the Himalayan terrain of Uttarakhand

The current study describes the analysis of the phytochemical composition and biological activities of various polarity extracts of the Anaphalis busua plant that was collected at an altitude of 1654 m in the Himalayan terrain of Uttarakhand, India. The extracts were prepared by the cold percolation method, which was then subjected to GC-MS for phytochemical analysis. A total of 31 compounds were identified that constituted 94.95% of the total methanolic extract. Mome inositol (31.03%) was identified as the main compound in the methanolic extract. Twenty-two compounds that comprise 68.24% of the total hexane extract were identified. Tetracontane (19.33%) was present in a significant proportion. The methanolic extract demonstrated potent antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH radical scavenging and metal chelating activity that have IC50 values of 81.71±1.334 and 11.26±0.005 µg/mL, respectively, compared to standards ascorbic acid and EDTA that have IC50 values at 12.71±0.02 and 11.36±0.06 µg/mL, respectively. The methanolic extract showed potent anti-inflammatory activity with an IC50 value of 24.10±0.09 µg/mL in comparison to standard diclofenac potassium with an IC50 value of 18.95±0.03 µg/mL. In vitro studies reveal that A. busua has a strong therapeutic potential and, if further explored, may prove to be a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cost-effective agent compared to synthetically derived agents from pharmaceutical industries.