Isolation of bioactive compounds from Rumex hastatus extract and their biological evaluation and docking study as potential anti‐oxidant and anti‐urease agents

Herein, the methanolic extract of Rumex hastatus was prepared and subjected to silica gel column chromatographic separation for purification. The chromatographic analysis yielded four bioactive compounds namely, 1,8‐dihydroxy‐3‐methyl‐anthraquinone (C1, chrysophanol), 3‐methoxy‐7‐methyl‐1,5‐dihydroxy‐anthraquinone (C2), 6‐methyl‐1,3,7‐trihydroxy‐anthraquinone (C3), and 4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (C4). The structures of all the isolated bio‐entities were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (1D, 2D‐NMR, and MS). The biological potentialities of bioactive compounds were evaluated by determining their antioxidant and anti‐urease activities. The results revealed that compound 1 showed the highest nitrite radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 0.39 mM) followed by C2 and C4 (IC50 = 0.45) mM and C3 (IC50 = 0.47 mM). Similarly, the determined IC50 values for anti‐urease activity were C2 (IC50 = 0.39 mM), C1 (IC50 = 0.40), C4 (IC50 = 0.41), and C3 (IC50 = 44). Molecular docking study revealed maximum interactions among the hydroxyl group of all compounds. In conclusion, Rumex hastatus extract could be a promising alternative to chemical additives in pharmaceutical industries due to its noteworthy biological activities. Practical applications As we have shown in this study that Rumex hastatus is a prolific source of biologically active compounds with potent antioxidant and anti‐urease activities, therefore, R. hastatus extract could be used as a promising alternative to chemical additives in pharmaceutical industries due to its unique compounds and noteworthy biological activities. The methanolic extract of Rumex hastatus was prepared and purified by silica gel column chromatography. The chromatographic analysis yielded four bioactive compounds, namely, 1,8‐dihydroxy‐3‐methyl anthraquinone, 3‐methoxy‐7‐methyl‐1,5‐dihydroxy‐anthraquinone, 6‐methyl‐1,3,7‐trihydroxy‐anthraquinone, and 4‐hydroxy‐cinnamic acid. The structures of all the isolated bio‐entities were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (1D, 2D‐NMR, and MS). The biological potentialities of bioactive compounds were evaluated by determining their antioxidant and anti‐urease activities. In conclusion, Rumex hastatus extract could be a promising alternative to chemical additives in pharmaceutical industries.