Campanula cymbalaria var. papillosa: Phytochemical profile, antioxidant activities, enzyme inhibitory effects, antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, and molecular docking analysis

Campanula species have long been valued for their traditional medicinal and nutritional uses; however, the phytochemical composition and biological potential of the endemic taxon Campanula cymbalaria var. papillosa remain unexplored. In this study, the phenolic profiles and tissue-specific bioactivities of methanolic leaf and flower extracts were investigated using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), in vitro bioassays, and molecular docking. LC–MS/MS analysis identified 17 phenolic compounds in leaf extracts and 22 in flower extracts, with quinic acid as the predominant metabolite in both tissues, occurring at higher levels in flowers (54.4 mg/g) than leaves (38.3 mg/g). Leaves were enriched in cynaroside (19.6 mg/g) and exhibited higher total phenolic (54.39 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid contents (58.88 mg QE/g) compared to flowers. Consistently, leaf extracts showed stronger antioxidant capacity, including ABTS•+ (74.39 mg TE/g), DPPH• (69.39 mg TE/g), and CUPRAC (128.73 mg TE/g). The highest antibacterial activity was observed for the flower extract against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (MIC: 512 μg/mL). Cytotoxicity assays revealed pronounced time- and cell line–dependent antiproliferative effects, with the flower extract showing vigorous activity against SKBR3 cells (IC50 = 0.11 mg/mL at 48 h). Both extracts exhibited moderate and comparable inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase, whereas flower extracts showed significantly stronger tyrosinase inhibition. Docking analysis indicated that abundant phenolics, particularly cynaroside, isoquercitrin, and chlorogenic acid, displayed strong binding affinities toward the investigated enzymes. Overall, these findings highlight C. cymbalaria var. papillosa as a tissue-dependent source of multifunctional bioactive compounds with potential food and pharmaceutical relevance.