Abstract

Prosopis cineraria (L.) is a perennial desert tree belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is widespread in India, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Iran. The study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical screening, antioxidant potential, and to assess cytotoxic activity through a Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay. Artemia salina was used as a biological model to detect the toxicity of bioactive constituents. The qualitative analysis of the hydroethanolic extract of Prosopis cineraria seeds confirmed the presence of major phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, coumarins, and glycosides. FTIR spectroscopy showed dominant functional groups, including hydroxyl, amine, carbonyl, alkene and aromatic. Similarly, GC-MS chromatogram reveals the abundant compounds, such as 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid), n-hexadecanoic acid, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, Methyl salicylate, campesterol, and stigmasterol. The antioxidant potential of the extract was evidenced by IC₅₀ values of 46.77 µg/mL in the ABTS radical scavenging assay and 54.61 µg/mL in the hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. This indicates a significant capacity to neutralize free radicals, and the observed strong activity exhibited a concentration-dependent pattern. The brine shrimp lethality assay demonstrated significant concentration-dependent toxicity, with an LC₅₀ value of 930.3 µg/mL, indicating biologically active low-to-moderate cytotoxic potential (R² = 0.9972; F (4, 10) = 506.64, p < 0.0001).

Keywords

Oxidative stress, Antioxidant, Prosopis cineraria, Artemia salina, Cytotoxicity,

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