Phytochemical Characterization, In Vitro Antifungal and Antidiabetic Activities of Stem and Flower From Ethanol Extract of Hyptis capitata

ABSTRACT

The ethanol extract of H. capitata stems and flowers were prepared using the hot extraction method with 96% ethanol for chemical composition and biological analysis. GC–MS and LC–MS identified 71 compounds across both extracts. The flower extract contained the highest total phenolic content (TPC) (48.47 ± 2.03 mg GAE/g), while the stem extract showed higher total flavonoid content (TFC) (9.21 ± 0.10 mg QE/g), and total triterpenoid contents (TTC) (27.01 ± 1.06 mg OAE/g). The flower extract demonstrated stronger antioxidant activity than the stem extract, with IC ₅₀ values of 18.00 ± 0.28 µg/mL (DPPH) and 3.81 ± 0.04 µg/mL (ABTS). It also exhibited antifungal activity against four pathogenic fungal strains (MIC: 500–1000 µg/mL). In addition, both extracts showed α‐ glucosidase inhibitory activity, particularly the flower extract (IC ₅₀  = 5.87 ± 0.18 µg/mL), compared with the stem extract (IC ₅₀  = 23.27 ± 0.77 µg/mL), suggesting the presence of constituents associated with antidiabetic potential. Molecular docking suggested that key compounds−1,2‐cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid bis(2‐ethylhexyl) ester (stem) and 6β‐acetoxy‐5‐epilimonin (flower)−may contribute to enzyme inhibition, with binding energies of −10.0 and −9.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Overall, these findings suggest that H. capitata , particularly its flowers, represents a promising source of bioactive compounds for further isolation and in vivo validation.