Abstract
Since ages, many plants have been used for preservative and medicinal purposes due to the presence of secondary metabo- lites referred as Phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are biologically active plant compounds having disease hampering capabilities and preservative action. The genus Ocimum contains more than 200 species of herbs and shrubs which have been shown to have medicinal properties and also are used as a culinary herb, preservative and flavoring agents. In this study methanol extracts from the leaves of Ocimum species (O. sanctum purple, O. sanctum green, O. gratissimum, O. basilicum and Camphor basil) were investigated for their phytochemical constituent and antioxidant activity. Also, six extracts (Ethanol, Methanol, Propanol, Chloroform, Petroleum Ether and Iso- amyl alcohol) were assayed to test their ability to inhibit the clinically isolated Enterobacteria (S. pneumoniae, Proteus sp., E. faecalis, S. typhi, S. aureus and B. subtilis). The Ocimum sp. were screened for the presence of phenolic content, glycosides, anthraquinones, terpe- noids, proteins, flavinoids, tannins, lignin and Saponins. The test results were positive for all Phytochemicals in methanolic extracts of Ocimum sp. The antioxidant activity was measured by reducing power assay, 1-1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and Thiobarbi- turic acid (TBA) which showed positive. In the antimicrobial assay studies O. gratissimum and O. basilicum showed maximum antibacteri- al activity compared to other species with maximum activity in isoamyl alcohol extract. The Present investigation suggests that the phyto- chemical content and its antioxidant properties can be further studied for its application in health and in food industries. Furthermore, these species can be used as a source of novel drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms.
Highlights
Plants are the richest resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs [1]
Phytochemical screening of the methanol extracts of Ocimum showed the presence of phenolic content, glycosides, anthraquinones, terpenoids, flavinoids, tannins, lignin and Saponins as chemical constituents
Ence of chemical compound such as phenolic compounds, glycosides, flavanoids, tannins and saponins which account for their usefulness as medicinal plants
Summary
Plants are the richest resource of drugs of traditional systems of medicine, modern medicines, nutraceuticals, food supplements, folk medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs [1]. It has been seen that because of indiscriminate use of commercial antimicrobial drugs, rate of acquiring multiple resistances in human pathogenic microorganisms has increased [11] This fact has led the scientists to search for novel antimicrobial substances and screen medicinal plants regularly for new antibacterial agents. Antibacterial Activity of Ocimum Species and Their Phytochemical and Antioxidant Potential family and is found in many part of the world like tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Central and South America. It is a source of essential oils and aroma compounds, a culinary herb and an attractive, fragrant ornamental plant. Though much antibacterial and phytochemical studies has been conducted on Ocimum species, keeping in view the pharmacology, the present work has been designed to screen antimicrobial agents by using various solvent extracts and their action on various pathogens and to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the extracts to explore the basis for its traditional use
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