Abstract

SCREENING OF PHYTOCHEMICALS & DETERMINATION OF ANTIOXIDANTS CONTENT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY IN MEDICINAL PLANTS OF KALYAN

Santhini S. Nair*, Pooja Jagasia, Malay Shah, Shweta Patil and Komal Pareek

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Abstract

Medicinal plants are composed of phytochemicals that improve the physiological balance of human beings and also used for treatment of various health ailments and chronic diseases. The phytoconstituents in different locally available plant parts in Kalyan viz. Tulsi leaves and stem, Ajwain & Cloves drawn out as distilled water extracts were subjected to phytochemical screening which affirmed the presence of large array of phytochemicals. The important bioactive constituents (flavonoids ,ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds) of these plants were determined. The aluminum chloride colorimetric method was used for determination of Total Flavonoid Content (TFC). Tulsi leaves and stem, Ajwain and cloves contained flavonoids as Quercetin equivalents amounting to 37.966±0.42, 77.525 ±0.727 and 27.525±0.370 & 39.987±0.463 mg/g of QE respectively. The 2, 4 Dinitrophenyl hydrazine method was used for determination of total ascorbic acid content. Ascorbic acid content in Tulsi leaves and stem, Ajwain and cloves was found to be 34.909±0.72, 44.49±0.89, 49.94±0.77, 43.032±0.45 mg/g dried plant sample respectively. Total phenol was estimated as tannic acid equivalent using the Folin-Ciocalteu phenol reagent method and was found to be 243.45±1.045, 235.694±1.056, 327.611±0.690, 317.59±0.917 mg/g respectively of TA equivalents in the extracts. Antimicrobial activity of the aqueous and ethanol extracts was investigated against selected microorganisms. Aqueous extracts did not show any antimicrobial activity against the test cultures used. However, ethanol extract showed antibacterial activity against four test cultures used with Clove extract showing maximum activity. The extracts also exhibited antifungal activity against Candida albicans.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, Phytochemicals, Flavonoids, Ascorbic acid, Antimicrobial activity.