Chemical Constituents of Ranunculus multifidus Aerial extract and Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities

¹Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia

²Applied Chemistry Department, School of Applied Natural Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia

³Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Bisidimo Hospital, Harar, Ethiopia

Corresponding author: Terfo Yilma Mikre, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia, Phone: 0976760242, e-mail: [email protected]

Received Date: February 12, 2026

Publication Date: April 20, 2026

Citation: Mikre TY, et al. (2026). Chemical Constituents of Ranunculus multifidus Aerial extract and Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities. Traditional Medicine. 7(1):36.

Copyright: Mikre TY, et al. © (2026).

ABSTRACT

Background: Infectious and inflammation diseases are still a growing public health concern, especially with the emerging challenge of drug resistance to the current drugs. Ranunculus multifidus, commonly known as Gubduu caaffee (in Oromiffa, Ethiopia), was a perennial herb traditionally used to treat malaria, asthma, wound healing, etc. Objective: The present study aimed to extract the bioactive metabolites from aerial part of R. multifidus and investigate the biological activity and isolation of the essential oils from solvent fractions using analytical grade solvents. Methods: In view of its medicinal uses, the powdered aerial part was extracted with methanol and successively fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous using solvent-solvent portioning technique. The fractions were evaluated in vitro using the disc diffusion method against S. pyrogens, S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. The antifungal activities of extracts were tested using disc diffusion methods against two fungal strains.  Radical scavenging power of extract and isolate was done using DPPH assay techniques. GC- MS analysis was used for isolation of solvent fraction essential oils. Results: The powdered aerial part was extracted with methanol and successively fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous using solvent-solvent portioning to afford 4.54, 10.87, 26.27, 15.15, and 38.08%, respectively. A phytochemical test revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, and steroids in both fractions of the plant. Strong inhibition observed against S. aureus (13.34 ±0.89 mm) and E. coli (11.55±1.1 mm) at 200 mg/ml of ethyl acetate fraction compared to ciprofloxacin as standard. Strong inhibition zone recorded for ethyl acetate fraction against C. albicans (14.5 ± 1.3 mm) and A. niger (16.93±1.11 mm) at 100 mg/ml compared to fluconazole (21 ±1.5 mm) and ketoconazole (23.43±0.65 mm) for strains respectively. The antiradical activities of each fraction were determined using the DPPH assay. The n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions show (94.187 %) and (90.78%), respectively, and are comparable to ascorbic acid (98.59%) at 100 µg/mL. Using its spectacular microbial and radical scavenging power, the ethyl acetate fraction was selected for identification of compounds using GC-MS and afforded 45 compounds, including 9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid (Z, Z, Z) (24.09%), 9,12,15-Octadeca trienoic acid, methyl ester (23.46%), Methyl 9-cis,11-trans-octadecadienoate (7.07%), and hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (12.69 %), as major compounds. Conclusion: The present finding of these pharmacologically important secondary metabolites from R. multifidus extracts brings the future attention of experts to the medicinal importance of the plant.

Keywords: Traditional Medicine, Ranunculus multifidus, Antimicrobial Activities, Antioxidant Effects, Phytochemical Screening