Abstract
Bark extracts of Bauhinia purpurea were phytochemically analyzed and evaluated for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The phytochemical analysis of the bark extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, triterpenes and carbohydrates. While most of them were present in methanolic and aqueous extracts, one or a few of them were present in other solvent extracts. Among different solvent extracts, aqueous extract exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. It showed strong antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacterial strains like Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negative strains like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia and antifungal activity againstCandida albicans. While methanolic extract showed moderate to strong antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, E. coli and K. pneumonia, the extracts of hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate did not show any anti bacterial or antifungal activity against the tested fungal and bacterial strains. Antioxidant activity of the bark extracts were evaluated in terms of inhibition of free radicals by 2, 2’-diphenly-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Aqueous extract followed by methanolic extract exhibited strong to moderate antioxidant activity. The antioxidant property and antimicrobial activity of the extracts of B. purpurea against the tested microbial strains therefore, supports that there is scientific basis for their utilization in traditional medicine for wound healing and also in treatment of some infectious diseases. Key words: Bauhinia purpurea, phytochemical analysis, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant property.
Highlights
The use of plants for medicinal purposes dates back to antiquity because they contain components of therapeutic value (Charaka and Sofovora Basu, 2000)
The phytochemical analysis of the bark extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, triterpenes and carbohydrates
Aqueous extract exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity
Summary
The use of plants for medicinal purposes dates back to antiquity because they contain components of therapeutic value (Charaka and Sofovora Basu, 2000). Bauhinia purpurea is a shrub or small tree of Fabaceae family It is found in most types of vegetation ranging from evergreen lowlands, rain forests to mountain forests up to 2000 to 3000 m altitude and in savanna, scrub and dry deciduous forests to swamp forests on various soils. The aerial parts of the plant are reported to contain flavone glycosides, foliar flavonoids, 6-butyl-3hydroxy flavanone, amino acids, phenyl fatty ester, lutine and ß-sitosterl (Yadava and Tripati, 2000). The study was performed in triplicate and the mean values were presented
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