Abstract
BackgroundSphaeranthus indicus is an important medicinal plant, which is used to cure various illnesses. The present study is the first investigation of the antimicrobial, antioxidant and phytochemical analysis of Sphaeranthus indicus from Chhattisgarh, India.MethodsThe whole plant and plant parts were extracted with polar and non-polar solvents such as water, methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane to assess various bioactivities. The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were performed by ager well diffusion method and ferrous reducing capacity, respectively; However free radical scavenging activity was analyzed using DMPD and DPPH scavenging assay. The DMPD and DPPH assay were performed in a time dependent manner. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed for the total phytochemicals present in the plant extracts. The total content of phenols, flavonoids and terpenoids was analyzed by colorimetric methods.ResultsEthyl acetate and hexane extract of plant inflorescence and stem exhibited significant antibacterial activity against tested bacterial pathogens. The clinically isolated gram positive pathogenic bacteria responded better as compared to clinically isolated gram negative bacteria as well as pathogenic gram positive and negative bacteria acquired from Microbial Type Culture Collection, India. The leaf and inflorescence exhibited potent antioxidant activity. The polar fraction of leaf methanol extract exhibited the highest reducing power capacity. The aqueous extract of inflorescence exhibited highest inhibition against DMPD and DPPH radicals. The whole plant aqueous extract showed maximum inhibition while aqueous extract of inflorescence exhibited high inhibition among different plant parts. Qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of terpenoids, phenols, flavonoids, tannins and cardiac glycosides in plant parts. Total terpenoid content was found to be highest in polar fraction of stem methanol extract and ethyl acetate extract of inflorescence. However, total phenol was found to be highest in polar fraction of leaf methanol extract, similarly highest flavonoid content was observed in aqueous extract of leaf.ConclusionThe results suggest that biological activities of plant parts depend on content of active phytochemicals. The inflorescence could be a potential source of antimicrobial and antioxidant compound. Further, investigation pertaining isolation and characterization of active ingredient may provide an insight regarding its phytochemical activity.
Highlights
Sphaeranthus indicus is an important medicinal plant, which is used to cure various illnesses
Plant extracts Among the different plant parts extracted through different solvents, the highest yield was recovered from aqueous extract of leaf (9.25%), while the lowest yield was recorded from root hexane extract (0.4%)
Stem hexane extract inhibited most of the pathogenic bacteria while ethyl acetate and polar fraction of methanol inhibited some of the bacterial strains
Summary
Sphaeranthus indicus is an important medicinal plant, which is used to cure various illnesses. The plants produce several secondary metabolites during their physiological activities like, alkaloids, poly-phenols, phenols, flavonoids, flavonol, terpenoids, and carotenes etc. Characterization and synthesis of these bioactive phytochemicals are an emerging area of research [2] These secondary metabolites are potent source of anticancer [3], antioxidant [4], antiviral [5], anti-inflammatory [6] and antimicrobial [7] agents. The active biomolecules are distributed differentially on various parts of plant, and show variation in different developmental stages of the plant They exhibit qualitative and quantitative variations provincially and geographically in their secondary metabolite content and are worth investigating in various regions [8, 9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
