Comparative Phytochemical Screening by GC-MS and Assessment of  Biological Activities of Leaves, Stem and Root of Costus igneus

Aashna Sinha; Nishesh Sharma; Ajay Singh; Shanti Bhushan Mishra; Nitin Kumar

doi:10.14233/ajchem.2026.35001

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 7 (2026): Vol. 38, No 7 (2026)

Issue Published : 3 July 2026

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Comparative Phytochemical Screening by GC-MS and Assessment of Biological Activities of Leaves, Stem and Root of Costus igneus

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.35001

Aashna Sinha

School of Applied and Life Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun-248007, India

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3550-6442

Nishesh Sharma

School of Applied and Life Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun-248007, India

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4350-5175

Ajay Singh

School of Applied and Life Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun-248007, India

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4526-1880

Shanti Bhushan Mishra

Department of Pharmacognosy, United Institute of Pharmacy, Prayagraj-211010, India

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9086-3624

Nitin Kumar

Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Clement Town, Dehradun-248002, India; Centre for Research Impact, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajpura-140401, India

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8878-8155

Corresponding Author(s) : Nishesh Sharma

nishesh21@gmail.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 7 (2026): Vol. 38, No 7 (2026)
Article Published : 3 July 2026

Abstract

Costus igneus (insulin plant), is among the important medicinal plant known for its diverse medicinal properties; in particular, to manage blood glucose levels. The present study is a comparative analysis of phytochemical composition and pharmacological activities of leaves, stem and root of insulin plant through FTIR, GC-MS analysis, DPPH radical scavenging ability, protein denaturation inhibition and in vitro α-amylase inhibitory activity. The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of different plant parts. Among the extracts tested, the leaf extract exhibited the highest α-amylase inhibitory activity, showing efficacy comparable to that of the standard drug acarbose. The leaf extract exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity, reaching maximum inhibition at 100 µg/mL. In the protein denaturation assay, the stem extract showed anti-inflammatory activity comparable to salicylic acid and second only to the leaf extract. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of diverse bioactive compounds in all plant parts, with the root containing the highest concentration and greatest phytochemical diversity. While previous studies have largely focused on the leaves, the present findings demonstrate that the stem and root also possess considerable therapeutic potential, expanding their prospects for healthcare and related industrial applications.

Keywords

Costus igneus GC-MS FTIR In vitro α-amylase inhibitory DPPH-radical scavenging Protein denaturation assay

(1)

Sinha, A.; Sharma, N.; Singh, A.; Mishra, S. B.; Kumar, N. Comparative Phytochemical Screening by GC-MS and Assessment of Biological Activities of Leaves, Stem and Root of Costus Igneus. ajc 2026, 38, 1953-1959.

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References

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References

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H.A. Rao, P.N. Rao and P.K. Hegde, Pharmacogn. Rev., 8, 67 (2014); https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.125536

Y.A. Hajam, R. Kumar, M.S. Reshi, D.S. Rawat, A.F. AlAsmari, N. Ali, Y.S.M. Ali and M. Ishtikhar, J. King Saud Univ. Sci., 34, 101911 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2022.101911

F. Mathew and B. Varghese, Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Rev. Res., 54, 51 (2019).

L. Athilli, A.F. Siddiqui, F. Hussain and E.A.H. Parvez, Int. J. Pharmacogn., 8, 476 (2021); https://doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.8(12).476-86

N. Tran, B. Pham and L. Le, Biology, 9, 252 (2020); https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9090252

B. Salehi, A. Ata, N.V. Anil Kumar, F. Sharopov, K. Ramírez-Alarcón, A. Ruiz-Ortega, S.A. Ayatollahi, P.V. Tsouh Fokou, F. Kobarfard, Z.A. Zakaria, M. Iriti, Y. Taheri, M. Martorell, A. Sureda, W.N. Setzer, A. Durazzo, M. Lucarini, A. Santini, R. Capasso, E.A. Ostrander, Atta-ur-Rahman, M.I. Choudhary, W.C. Cho and J. Sharifi-Rad, Biomolecules, 9, 551 (2019); https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9100551

K. Manjula, K. Rajendran, T. Eevera and S. Kumaran, Urol. Res., 40, 499 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1007/s00240-012-0462-6

N. Zouine, N.E. Ghachtouli, S.E. Abed and S.I. Koraichi, Sci. Afr., 26, e02395 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02395

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W.I. Khanday, N.A. Wani and B. Paulraj, J. Nat. Sci. Biol. Med., 10, 157 (2019); https://doi.org/10.4103/jnsbm.JNSBM_216_18

N. Chacko, C.S. Shastry and P. Shetty, Hygeia: J. Drugs Med., 10, 43 (2018); https://doi.org/10.15254/H.J.D.Med.10.2018.173

M. Riaz, R. Khalid, M. Afzal, F. Anjum, H. Fatima, S. Zia, G. Rasool, C. Egbuna, A.G. Mtewa, C.Z. Uche and M.A. Aslam, Food Sci. Nutr., 11, 2500 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3308

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Z.K. Abbas, S. Saggu, M.I. Sakeran, N. Zidan, H. Rehman and A.A. Ansari, Saudi J. Biol. Sci., 22, 322 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2014.11.015

L.A.D. Williams, A. O’Connar, L. Latore, O. Dennis, S. Ringer, J.A. Whittaker, J. Conrad, B. Vogler, H. Rosner and W. Kraus, West Indian Med. J., 57, 327 (2008).

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I. de Oliveira, C. Santos-Buelga, Y. Aquino, L. Barros and S.A. Heleno, Food Biosci., 68, 106571 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2025.106571

İ. Gulcin, Arch. Toxicol., 99, 1893 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-025-03997-2

O. Ojo, I. Njanje, D. Abdissa, T. Swart, R.L. Higgitt and R.A. Dorrington, Nat. Prod. Bioprospect., 15, 19 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00501-2

Y. Wang, A.J. Sanyal, P. Hylemon and S. Ren, Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab., 328, E543 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00426.2024

J.S. Câmara, R. Perestrelo, R. Ferreira, C.V. Berenguer, J.A.M. Pereira and P.C. Castilho, Molecules, 29, 3861 (2024); https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29163861

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N.F. Shamsudin, Q.U. Ahmed, S. Mahmood, S.A.A. Shah, M.N. Sarian, M.M.A.K. Khattak, A. Khatib, A.S.M. Sabere, Y.M. Yusoff and J. Latip, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 23, 12605 (2022); https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232012605

K. Miazek, K. Beton, A. Śliwińska and B. Brożek-Płuska, Biomolecules, 12, 1087 (2022); https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12081087

P. Li, X. Wu, Y. Huang, R. Qin, P. Xiong and Y. Qiu, Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol., 15, 1518659 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1518659

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Y. Ysrafil, Z. Sapiun, N.S. Slamet, F. Mohamad, H. Hartati, S.A. Damiti, F.D. Alexandra, S. Rahman, S. Masyeni, H. Harapan, S.S. Mamada, T. Emran and F. Nainu, ADMET DMPK, 11, 331 (2023); https://doi.org/10.5599/admet.1918

E. Juszczuk-Kubiak, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 25, 2655 (2024); https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052655

Author biographies is not available.