Histo-Anatomical Features, Phenolic Profile and Biological Activities of Corydalis cava and Corydalis solida

Background/Objectives: Corydalis cava (L.) Schweigg. & Körte and Corydalis solida (L.) Clairv. are perennial geophytes belonging to the Papaveraceae family. The present study investigated the phytochemical composition, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxic effects of their hydroethanolic extracts. Methods: The phenolic profiles of aerial parts were characterized by spectrophotometric assays, and individual polyphenolic compounds were identified and quantified by LC-HRMS/MS. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the TEAC and EPR assays. The cytotoxic effects were evaluated on DLD-1 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells and HFL human lung fibroblasts. The antimicrobial effects were assessed against a selection of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Results: The results showed high amounts of flavonoids and polyphenols, but also of individual metabolites such as phenolic acids, flavonol aglycones and their glycosides. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated good tolerability towards normal cells, indicating inhibitory effects only on tumor-derived cell lines. In addition, the tested samples exhibited strain-dependent antimicrobial activity. Conclusions: Collectively, the results obtained hereby suggest that C. cava and C. solida represent a potential source of bioactive metabolites, with promising antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic bioactivities.