HPLC‐Based Phytochemical Profiling and In Vitro Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Careya Arborea Roxb. Root

ABSTRACT Plants serve as abundant sources of medicinal compounds with diverse pharmaceutical applications. The present study investigated the phytochemical profile, antioxidant potential, and antimicrobial activity of Careya arborea Roxb root extracts prepared using hexane, dichloromethane, chloroform, acetone, and isopropanol. Preliminary screening confirmed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, phenols, sterols, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids in all extracts. Quantitative analysis revealed solvent‐dependent variations: Isopropanol extracts contained the highest total phenolic (51.84 ± 0.93 mg GAE/g), tannin (49.98 ± 0.7 mg TAE/g), and saponin (53.69 ± 0.88 mg DE/g) contents, whereas chloroform extracts were richest in flavonoids (51.92 ± 1.44 mg QE/g) and alkaloids (47.38 ± 1.12 mg AE/g). High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis demonstrated that the dichloromethane extract was particularly abundant in phenolic acids, flavonoids, and saponin derivatives. Antioxidant assays, including 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and metal chelation, confirmed strong free radical scavenging activity with low IC 50 values. Furthermore, antimicrobial activity evaluated by disc diffusion revealed significant inhibition against 11 bacterial and 4 fungal pathogens, with effects comparable to ciprofloxacin and griseofulvin. These findings highlighted the C. arborea roots possess rich phytochemical contents and significant antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, indicating its promise as a natural therapeutic resource against various infectious conditions.