Antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of the ethanol extract of the stem bark of Clausena heptaphylla

Md Fakruddin,Hafsa Afroz,Khanjada Shahnewaj Bin Mannan,Reaz Mohammad Mazumdar

doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-232

Abstract

BackgroundThere is wide spread interest in drugs derived from plants as green medicine is believed to be safe and dependable, compared with costly synthetic drugs that have adverse effects.MethodsWe have attempted to evaluate the antioxidant, In vitro thrombolytic, antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects of Clausena heptaphylla (Rutaceae) stem bark extract ethanol extract.ResultsEthanolic stem bark extract of Clausena heptaphylla (CHET) contains flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins and steroids but it lacks tannins, anthraquinones and resins. Phenol content of the extract was 13.42 mg/g and flavonoid content was 68.9 mg/g. CHET exhibited significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 3.11 μg/ml. Reducing power of CHET was also moderately stronger. In the cytotoxicity assay, LC50 and Chi-square value of the ethanolic extract against brine shrimp nauplii were 144.1461 μg/ml and 0.8533 demonstrating potent cytotoxic effect of the extract. In vitro thrombolytic activity of CHET is significant with 45.38% clot lysis capability compared to that of Streptokinase (65.78%). In antibacterial screening, moderate zone of inhibition (6.5-9.0 mm in diameter) was observed against gram-positive Bacillus subtilis ATCC 11774, Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus polymyxa ATCC 842 and Bacillus megaterium ATCC 13578 and less promising zone of inhibition (3.0-4.5 mm in diameter) against gram-negative Salmonella typhi ATCC 65154, Shigella flexneri ATCC 12022, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Shigella sonnei ATCC 8992 did not show any sensitivity. The MIC values against these bacteria were ranged from 2,000 to 3,500 μg/ml. The extract showed significant zone of inhibition against Rhizopus oryzae DSM 2200, Aspergillus niger DSM 737 and Aspergillus ochraceus DSM 824 in antifungal assay.ConclusionsFurther advanced research is necessary to isolate and characterize the chemical components responsible for the therapeutic properties of the plant.

Highlights

There is wide spread interest in drugs derived from plants as green medicine is believed to be safe and dependable, compared with costly synthetic drugs that have adverse effects
Phytochemical screening Qualitative Phytochemical tests of Clausena heptaphylla were performed for the ethanol extract of the bark of stem
Total phenol and flavonoid content The total phenol and total flavonoid contents of Clausena heptaphylla of ethanol extract were expressed in Gallic acid and Quercetin equivalents respectively

Summary

Introduction

There is wide spread interest in drugs derived from plants as green medicine is believed to be safe and dependable, compared with costly synthetic drugs that have adverse effects. Most of the people in rural and urban areas of the world depended on the medicinal plants for the treatment of infectious diseases [2].Today, there is wide spread interest in drugs derived from. Clausena species are known to be useful in paralysis, ulcerated nose, headache, muscular pain and malarial fever [6]. They are reputed as diuretic, astringent, insecticide, tonic and vermifuge [7]. A new carbazole alkaloid, named clausenal, was isolated from the leaves of C. heptaphylla and the alkaloid was found to be active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi [10]

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