Phytochemical fingerprinting, antioxidant activity and cytotoxic evaluation of marketed Thalictrum foliolosum (Pili Jadi) root against MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Breast cancer remains a major global health challenge, necessitating the exploration of safer and effective plant-derived therapeutics. Thalictrum foliolosum DC. (Pili Jadi), a medicinal herb widely used in Himalayan traditional medicine, is known to contain bioactive alkaloids and phenolic compounds with potential pharmacological properties. The present study investigated the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, HPTLC fingerprinting, and In-vitro cytotoxic activity of marketed T. foliolosum root extract against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids. The total phenolic content of the ethanolic root extract was determined as 16.80 ± 1.82 mg GAE/g dry weight using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Antioxidant activity evaluated by the DPPH radical scavenging assay demonstrated concentration-dependent activity, with the aqueous fraction exhibiting the strongest antioxidant potential (82% radical scavenging activity at 800 µg/mL; IC₅₀ = 313.5 µg/mL), followed by the ethyl acetate fraction. HPTLC fingerprinting confirmed the presence of characteristic phytochemical markers, including quercetin (Rf ≈ 0.51) and berberine (Rf ≈ 0.12). Cytotoxic evaluation using the MTT assay showed a mild dose-dependent reduction in MCF-7 cell viability, with 91.03% viability observed at 100 µg/mL and IC₅₀ > 100 µg/mL. The findings indicate that marketed T. foliolosum roots possess significant antioxidant phytochemicals and identifiable bioactive constituents supporting their traditional therapeutic claims. Further studies involving phytochemical isolation, mechanistic investigations, and in vivo validation are warranted to explore their full anticancer potential.