Phytochemical and Pharmacological Investigation of the Methanolic Extract of Commelina communis (Whole Plant): Cytotoxic Potential, Analgesic Effect, and Phenolic–Flavonoid Contents

Abstract

Background: Commelina communis is a medicinal herb which has been used for the treatment of different disorders and contains various bioactive phytoconstituents. The current study was designed to assess the cytotoxic and analgesic properties of the methanolic extract of Commelina communis and to determine its total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Methods: Cytotoxic activity was screened using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay using vincristine sulfate as a standard. Analgesic activity was evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing model in Swiss albino mice. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were estimated using gallic acid and quercetin standards, respectively. Results: In the brine shrimp lethality assay, the methanolic extract was found to possess concentration dependent cytotoxicity leading to 80% mortality at the highest concentration tested, while vincristine sulfate caused 100% mortality at higher concentrations. In the analgesic test, at a dose of 500 mg/kg, the extract significantly reduced the number of writhes from 44 in the control group to 24, thereby showing 45.45% inhibition, while diclofenac sodium (100 mg/kg) inhibited the writhing response by 90.91%. The results of the phytochemical screening suggested that the extract was rich in phenolic and flavonoid contents, where TPC and TFC of the extract was 14.94 mg GAE/g extract and 149.22 mg QE/g extract, respectively. Conclusion: The methanolic extract of Commelina communis possessed significant cytotoxicity, moderate analgesic activity and significant phenolic and flavonoid contents. Thus, the current results suggest that Commelina communis can be considered as a promising source of bioactive phytochemicals and needs further investigation for isolation and pharmacological studies.