Bioactivity Evaluation of Prosopis farcta Extracts: Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibitory, and Antimicrobial Activities

ABSTRACT Prosopis farcta (Banks & Sol.) J. F. Macbr., a medicinal plant widely used in folk medicine, was evaluated for the antioxidant, anticholinesterase, monoamine oxidase inhibitory, and antimicrobial activities of its fruit and leaf extracts (water, ethanol, and dichloromethane). Antioxidant activity, determined by DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays and Fe 3 + and Cu 2 + reducing power assays, was highest in the water and ethanol extracts and positively correlated with total phenolic content, whereas dichloromethane extracts showed lower activity. Among all samples, the leaf water and leaf ethanol extracts exhibited the strongest antioxidant effects. All extracts displayed weak AChE inhibition, while the fruit and leaf water extracts showed notable BChE inhibitory activity, although weaker than standard inhibitors. The leaf and fruit ethanol extracts demonstrated the highest MAO‐B inhibitory activity, comparable to pargyline, whereas total MAO inhibition was generally lower. Antimicrobial activity was observed mainly against Gram‐positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus . The fruit dichloromethane extract showed the strongest antibacterial effect, producing inhibition zones of up to 20 mm against S. aureus . Overall, P. farcta appears to be a promising source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and antimicrobial properties.