Pharmacognostic Characterization, Phytochemical Profiling, and In Vitro Biological Evaluation of Zygophyllum fabago L.

Zygophyllum fabago L. is traditionally used in folk medicine due to its antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive morphological, anatomical, phytochemical, and microbiological investigation of Z. fabago collected in the Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan and to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of its extract. Morphological and microscopic analyses of the aerial parts were performed to establish diagnostic characteristics of the plant material. A 70% ethanolic extract obtained by ultrasonic extraction was subjected to GC-MS and LC-MS analyses, quantitative phytochemical assessment, and elemental profiling. The extract was further fractionated using solvents of different polarity. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against selected clinically relevant bacterial and fungal strains, while cytotoxicity was assessed using the Artemia salina model. Phytochemical analyses tentatively identified a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, sterols, triterpenoids, fatty acids, and other bioactive constituents, together with appreciable levels of phenolic compounds and mineral elements. Several solvent fractions exhibited antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms. In the Artemia salina assay, no detectable toxicity was observed for the ethanolic extract under the tested conditions. The results provide pharmacognostic and phytochemical data for Z. fabago collected in Kazakhstan and demonstrate the presence of diverse bioactive constituents. The observed antimicrobial activity and low toxicity in the applied screening model suggest that this species may represent a potential source of biologically active compounds and warrants further phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological investigations.