Chemical Composition of <i>Reichardia tingitana</i> Methanolic Extract and Its Potential Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic and Larvicidal Activity

The biggest challenges are locating effective, reasonably priced, and eco-friendly compounds to treat diseases caused by insects and microbes. The aim of this study was to employ GC-MS to assess the biological potency and chemical composition of the aerial parts of <i>Reichardia tingitana</i> (L.) Roth. Using this technique, 17 components were interpreted from the extracted plant, accounting for around 100% of total volatile compounds. Commonly, 6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one (21.98%) and methyl oleate (27.26%) were positioned as the major components, which were ascertained after 19.25, and 23.34 min, respectively. The major components were classified as hydrocarbons (23.82%), fatty acids, esters of fatty acids (57.46%), steroids (17.26%), and terpenes (1.48%). The DPPH antioxidant activity of the <i>R. tingitana</i> extracted components revealed that the shoot extract is the most powerful, with an IC₅₀ value of 30.77 mg L⁻¹ and a radical scavenging activity percentage of 71.91%. According to the current result, methanolic extract of <i>R. tingitana</i> had the maximum zone of inhibition against <i>Salmonella typhimurium</i> and <i>Bacillus cereus</i> (25.71 ± 1.63 and 24.42 ± 0.81 mm, respectively), while <i>Clostridium tetani</i> and <i>Staphylococcus xylosus</i> were the main resistant species. In addition, the 50% methanol crude shoot extract of <i>R. tingitana</i> showed greater potential anticancer activity with high cytotoxicity for two tumor cells HepG-2 and PC3 cells (IC₅₀ = 29.977 and 40.479 µg mL⁻¹, respectively) and noncytotoxic activity for WI-38 normal cells (IC₅₀ = >100 µg mL⁻¹). The MeOH extract of plant sample was more effective against <i>Aedes aegypti</i> larvae with LC₅₀ of extract being 46.85, 35.75, and 29.38 mg L⁻¹, whereas the LC₉₀ is 82.66, 63.82, and 53.30 mg L⁻¹ for the various time periods of 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. <i>R. tingitana</i> is a possible biologically active plant. Future study will include pure chemical isolation and individual component bioactivity evaluation.