Comparative Study on the Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Activities of and : In Vitro Study.

Azolla is a floating fern known for its various biological activities. and are multifunctional plants that exhibit biological activity in multiple ways, making them beneficial for various applications. This study aimed to compare the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxicity activities of two Azolla species, namely and . GC-MS analysis revealed distinct patterns of phytochemical composition in the two species. The methanol extracts of and exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against , , and . Furthermore, both extracts demonstrated potential antioxidant activity, as evidenced by a dose-dependent increase in a ferric-reducing activity power (FRAP) assay. Additionally, the extracts showed promising anti-inflammatory activities, including inhibition of protein denaturation, heat-induced red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis, and nitric oxide (NO) production by macrophages. Moreover, the methanolic extracts of displayed higher cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells than those of in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that the methanolic extracts of and contain distinct compounds and exhibit potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities against HepG2 cells. In conclusion, our data indicate that the methanolic extracts of and have differential phytochemical compositions and possess potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and HepG2 cytotoxic activities.