Authors:
Sisir Ghosh, Tuhin Ghosh, Dipan Adhikari
Volume 31, Issue 1;
Pages: 12-44; 2025
ISSN: 2069-0053 (print), Agroprint;
ISSN (online): 2068-9551
Abstract
Punica granatum L., a deciduous fruit-bearing and decorative shrub or small tree of Punicaceae family, is widely cultivated throughout India. In folk medicine, tea decoction per say produced from fruit peels could cure a variety of disorders, such as laryngotracheal infections, inflammatory diseases, and infectious diseases. Punica granatum peel aqueous extract (PGPAE) was analysed for the presence of secondary metabolites like flavonoids, condensed tannins and polyphenols, in vitro antioxidant activities like1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Ion reducing Power (FRAP) reducing activity, Fourier transformation Infrared (FT-IR) analysis, H2O2 induced anti-haemolysis of chicken and human RBC and anti-tissue damaging activity in chicken lung, liver and heart tissues in vitro. In addition PGPAE was also subjected to antimicrobial activity (Agar well diffusion method) and cytogenotoxic assays after seed priming with serially diluted concentrations (PGPAE, 10, 7.5, 5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.625 g/100 ml water) in germinating Lathyrus sativus L., chromosomal aberration and nucleolar degradation encompassing endpoint cytotoxic responses. PGPAE strongly inhibited H2O2 induced Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-mediated haemolysis and exhibited strong anti-tissue damaging activity. Additionally, using the Lathyrus sativus L. germinating root tip test this work assessed the cytotoxic and genotoxic capabilities of an aqueous extract derived from the peels of P. granatum. The extract pre-treatment at 0.625 g/100 ml failed to have cytostatic effects without any altered phase index (PI) than of negative control. The extract exhibited cytotoxic effects at the higher concentrations (10, 7.5, 5, 2.5, 1.25 g/ml), as well as significant anti-proliferative activity, genotoxicity, statistically significant changes in phase indices, and destruction of nucleolar morphology, which set the hallmark of apoptosis in germinating root tip cells. The extract has strong anti-microbial activity against microbial genera viz, Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp., Klebsiella sp., and Priestia sp. There were significant DPPH and FRAP reduction activity of PGPAE with 10.23±1.2 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight of total phenolics, 7.15±0.84 mg GAE/g dry weight of total flavonoids and 3.22±0.54 Catechin Equivalent /g dry weight of condensed tannin were present. Attempts to recognise and isolate the potent dietary antioxidants can be employed to mitigate oxidative stress during pathophysiological manifestations. Additionally analysis to look into the cytotoxic potential and mitostatic cum anti-proliferative actions of pomegranate epicarp to treat microbial contamination and diseases should be attempted. Dietary consumption of aqueous decoction of pomegranate peel has been proved being safe for both in lower vertebrates (chicken) and human subjects and can be effectively consumed during ailments to protect haematological health as potent cyto-protectant against ROS outbursts.
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