Phytochemical characterization and biological activities evaluation of Opuntia sp. cladode

The prickly pear is a plant belonging to the Cactaceae family, and it is the best-known species that has gained significant recognition in recent years. Opuntia sp. cladodes have been traditionally utilized as a functional food and in traditional medicine for treating chronic diseases. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and pharmacological activities of cladode extracts from Opuntia microdasys (Cl1) and Opuntia macrorhiza (Cl2), as well as to identify their phytochemical compounds. The chemical composition of the cladode extracts was analyzed using spectrophotometric methods, while the antioxidant activity was determined through DNA nicking assays. Microdilution assays were employed to assess the antimicrobial activity. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities were determined using the acetic acid writhing test in mice and the carrageenan-induced Wistar rat paw edema test. The results revealed that the two extracts of cladodes from Cl1 and Cl2 were characterized by a high phenolic content (58.13 and 44.58 GAE/g of extract, respectively). All the tested extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against the strains tested, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.312 to 5 mg/mL and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) values ranging from 1.25 to 10 mg/mL. The cladode extracts of Cl1 and Cl2 at a dose of 300 mg/kg showed a dose-dependent inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing in mice, with respective values of 64.76 % and 61.91 %. The maximum anti-inflammatory activity of all doses of cladode extracts was observed 5 h after carrageenan-induced paw edema, and all tested doses significantly inhibited the induced inflammation.