Phytochemical analysis, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activity of Calotropis gigantea and its therapeutic applications

Herbal remedies can be used to treat a variety of chronic inflammatory illnesses, like rheumatoid arthritis and leprosy. The plant Calotropis gigantea (C. gigantea) belongs to the family Apocynaceae. To treat numerous contagious diseases, C. gigantea is utilized alone or combine with certain medicinal herbs. Traditional Asian and African practitioners employed C. gigantea to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions like boils, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, leprosy and other disorders. The goal of this study is to examine the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of C. gigantea leaf extracts extracted using methanol, petroleum ether, and water. The leaf extracts of C. gigantea were obtained using the Soxhlet extraction technique. The phytoconstituents present in all three C. gigantea leaf extracts were confirmed by qualitative analysis, and the amounts of the alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and phenols found in the extracts were quantified. C. gigantea crude extracts were subjected to a nitric oxide scavenging experiment to assess their free radical scavenging activities. Protein denaturation and proteinase inhibition assays were used to investigate the effectiveness of extracts to restrict denaturation of protein and to inhibit key enzymes responsible for tissue damage. Further, the membrane stabilization efficacy of plant extracts were examined by the heat-induced hemolysis method. The DPPH and FRAP experiments were performed to determine the antioxidant effectiveness of phytoconstituents extracted using different solvents. The GC-MS study of plant C. gigantea methanolic, aqueous and petroleum ether extracts displayed a broad range of compounds that possess beneficial therapeutic effects. This study reveals that the methanolic extract of C. gigantea provides significantly more anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity than other extracts. Compared to the aqueous and petroleum ether extracts, the methanolic leaf extract of C. gigantea demonstrated greater in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. [Display omitted] •Therapeutic applications of Calotropis gigantea's leaf extract was explored.•Petroleum ether supported for maximum recovery of compounds from the extract.•The methanolic extract possesses strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.•GC-MS analysis aid to screen the bioactive compounds present in the extract.•Isolation of bioactive compounds will aid in the development of an anti-inflammatory drug.