PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF SELECTED CONSTITUENTS OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS.
Fouzia Rafat*, Beauty Kumari1 and Kumar Anand
ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals. The
phytochemical screenings of chloroform, aqueous and alcoholic plant
extracts of rhizome of Curcuma longa and leaves of Azadirachta
indica, Ocimum sanctum, Momordica charantia were performed using
standard phytochemical techniques for the determination of the
presence of alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, tannins, proteins,
carbohydrates, saponins etc.. It showed that chloroform, methanol,
ethanol and aqueous extracts gave positive tests for alkaloids, proteins
and phytosterols. Methanol and ethanol extracts were found to contain
phenolic compounds. Aqueous extract gave positive test for saponins.
Methanol, ethanol and aqueous extract gave positive test for carbohydrates. The in
vitro antimicrobial activity of selected plant extracts was investigated against soil bacteria.
The ability of rhizome of Curcuma longa, and leaves of Azadirachta indica, Ocimum
sanctum, Momordica charantia extracts to inhibit the growth of test pathogen is an indication
of their broad spectrum antimicrobial potential which may be employed in the management
of microbial infections. The seasonal variations of total ash and acid insoluble ash have been
investigated in selected constituents of plants, which are medicinally important. Comparative
account of total ash and acid insoluble ash content showed higher value of total ash of leaves
of Momordica charantia (15.86%) and lower value of total ash of rhizome of Curcuma longa
(8.36%) while the acid insoluble ash showed higher value of leaves of Momordica charantia
(5.96%) and lower value of leaves of Ocimum sanctum (1.22%).
Keywords: Phytochemical, Antimicrobial activity, Ash value, Curcuma longa, etc.
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