Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION, TANNIN CONTENT AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF LEAF AND CALLUS EXTRACTS OF PHYLLANTHUS VIRGATUS G. FORST

M. R. Ramachandra Kumar*, S. Ravi Kumar* and B. Janarthanam

Abstract

The present study has been conducted to examine the phytochemical composition, tannin content, and antibacterial activity of leaf and callus extracts of Phyllanthus virgatus. Phytochemical screening of various extracts such as aqueous, ethanol, chloroform, acetone and petroleum ether of leaf and callus extracts, revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, phenols, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, terpenoids, alkaloids and steroids. The leaf and callus extracts were evaluated for tannins content with tannic acid as standard. The optimum yield of tannins was found in ethanol callus extract (8.01±0.2 mg TAE/ g) of Phyllanthus virgatus. Different concentrations of ethanolic leaf and callus extracts were tested for the anti-bacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli using the agar disc diffusion technique. The ethanolic callus extracts from Phyllanthus virgatus had a superior level of antimicrobial activity. The powerful antibacterial effect is attributed to the greater amount of tannins compound in the ethanolic callus extracts of Phyllanthus virgatus.

Keywords: Phyllanthus virgatus, phytochemical analysis, Tannins. Antibacterial activity.