RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Dryopteris ramosa has numerous potentials uses in the treatment of different maladies as old traditional medication. The fronds of D. ramose are edible and orally administered for producing antibiotic effect. They are also used as astringent and febrifuge, and as a pesticide. METHODS: Extraction of fronds of D. ramosa using solvents of increasing polarity, namely, ethyl acetate, methanol and water were tested for phytochemical (qualitative tests, GC-MS), antimicrobial (well method), antioxidant (DPPH), antifungal (tube dilution), cytotoxic activity (brine shrimps lethality assay) and LOX and COX inhibitory activities were performed using standard methods. RESULTS: The phytochemical analysis of the crude methanolic extract revealed that the fronds are rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, glycosides and triterpenoids. The total flavonoid content of the ethyl acetate fraction was 46.28 µg QE/mg extract. The GC-MS analysis revealed nine major compounds that constituted the crude drug and potentially had a role in reported activities. The crude extract was the most active amongst all the fractions against the bacterial and fungal strains used such that it inhibited the growth of P. aeruginosa with a zone of 13 mm and a MIC value of 16 µg/ml as compared to the standard cefixime, which inhibited the zone by only 10 mm and a MIC value of 32 µg/ml. The highest antioxidant potential in DPPH assay was shown by the crude extract with 91.948% free radical scavenging activity. The bring shrimps lethality potential of the crude extract was the highest, with a LD50 value of 47.635 µg/ml. The ethyl acetate fraction inhibits 91.36% of alpha glucosidase enzyme at a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml. In case of acetylcholine esterase inhibition assay, the methanol fraction inhibits 58.26% of the enzyme activity. Similarly, for butyrylcholine esterase inhibition, the maximum inhibitory effect was seen in the methanol fraction, with a percentage inhibition of 47.32%. CONCLUSION: These test results support traditional medicinal uses of the plant. Dryopteris ramosa could be imperative for being used as a therapeutic agent and the medicinal importance of this plant should be further investigated.