Chemical composition, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and anticancer activities of essential oils of Berberis balochistanica Ahrendt

BACKGROUND: In Balochistan, the biotechnological potential of medicinal plants has not been widely investigated. Thus, searching medicinal plants for novel compounds is vital source for developing emerging and new medications. OBJECTIVES: . Gas Chhromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyzed the chemical constituents. METHODS: Antioxidant potential was evaluated by 2-2-diphenyl-1-picylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Antifungal action was evaluated using agar well and disc diffusion methods. The antibacterial screening was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains through the disc diffusion technique and by determining minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). To investigate anticancer activity, an 3-(4,5-dimetylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay was used. RESULTS: GC-MS analysis revealed 19 components accounting for 99.9% of the total EO. The EO exhibited a substantial effect against the fungal strain Alternaria alternate and remarkable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, while showing no cytotoxic activity. CONCLUSION: based EO has the potential to be evaluated in clinical applications and pharmaceutical industries as an antimicrobial agent for the treatment of various ailments. It may serve as a preservative in food stuffs, serving as a natural replacement for harmful synthetic antioxidants.