Chemical, Insecticidal, Antioxidant and Phytochemical Assessment of Thorn Apple (Datura metel L.) leaf extract from Pakistan's Subtropical Climate

Datura metel L. , a plant belonging to the solanaceae family, is renowned for its medicinal, agrochemical and poisonous properties. This research assessed the chemical makeup, antioxidant properties, and phytochemical content of D. metel leaf extracts by employing different solvents: ethanol (EtOH), ethyl acetate (EA), dichloromethane (DCM), n-hexane (n-Hx), and distilled water (DW). Chemical profile was assessed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) assay whereas; antioxidant activity was determined by using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. While, Insecticidal activity against Brevicoryne brassicae was evaluated via aphid dip and leaf dip method. On the other hand, quantitative and qualitative phytochemical analysis was carried out by Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. GC-MS identified four major compounds as: 11H-Pyrido [3’,2’:4,5] imidazo [2,1-b] [1,3] benzothiazin-11-one (29.76%), 1,3-dimethyl Benzene (18.35%), Didodecyl phthalate (11.73%), and 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene (10.09%), along with six minor compounds. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of plant extract discovered alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, and other substances. Whereas, quantitative tests revealed a high concentration of phenols (75.03 GAEg ^− 1 ) in distilled water extracts and increased levels of flavonoids in ethyl acetate (99.33 QEg ^− 1 ). All samples showed significant antioxidant properties, with DPPH inhibition levels ranging from 63.91–81.59%. Similarly, D. metel displayed significant mortality of 81.66% and 73.33% at 48 h exposure at 200 mgmL ^− 1 via aphid dip and leaf dip assay, respectively. These findings underline the potential for utilizing D. metel leaves as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with significant medicinal advantages.