PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION, ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY, AND CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF EUPATORIUM FORTUNEI TURCZ. CULTIVATED IN TAM DAO, VIETNAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51453/3093-3706/2026/1488Abstract
Eupatorium fortunei Turcz. (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine and reported to possess various biological activities. However, information regarding the phytochemical composition and biological properties of E. fortunei cultivated at the Tam Dao Medicinal Plant Research Center remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical constituents, antimicrobial activity, and cytotoxic potential of solvent fractions obtained from the aerial parts of E. fortunei. Preliminary phytochemical screening and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analyses were performed to characterize major secondary metabolites. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against eight standard microbial strains using the broth microdilution method, while cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines (HepG2, MCF-7, and A549) was assessed using the MTT assay.
Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and proanthocyanidins. TLC analysis demonstrated a diverse chemical profile, with at least 10 constituents detected in the n-hexane fraction (EFH) and 16 constituents in the ethyl acetate fraction (EFE). Among the tested extracts, EFH exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 100 μg/mL, whereas the remaining antimicrobial effects were weak (MIC ≥ 200 μg/mL). Cytotoxicity assays showed selective activity of EFH against MCF-7 breast cancer cells (IC₅₀ = 31.45 ± 1.18 μg/mL), while EFE displayed the most potent activity against A549 lung cancer cells (IC₅₀ = 27.36 ± 1.05 μg/mL) and moderate activity against HepG2 cells (IC₅₀ = 87.39 ± 2.51 μg/mL).
These findings demonstrate that E. fortunei cultivated in Tam Dao is a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites and possesses promising antifungal and selective anticancer activities. The ethyl acetate fraction, in particular, warrants further bioassay-guided fractionation to identify compounds responsible for its cytotoxic effects against lung cancer cells.
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