Evaluation of Alysicarpus pubescens Y. W. Law for its phytochemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity

This study determined the bio active substances in the physic nut plant, Jatropha curcas and further examined the larvicidal potentials of its hexane, methanol and aqueous leaf and stem extracts on locally reared larvae of the malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae in accordance with the World Health Organization’s guidelines for laboratory and field testing of mosquito larvicides. Various concentrations (25mg/mL, 50 mg/mL 100mg/mL and 200 mg/mL) of the plant extracts were tested against third instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the different portions of J. curcas leaf and stem extracts revealed the presence of active toxic compounds including alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycoside and tannins. Methanolic extracts were found to be richer in phytochemicals than hexane and aqueous extracts. All plant extracts at the various concentrations showed significant larvicidal activity against Anopheles gambiae mosquito larvae between 30 minutes to 24 hours of exposure. Methanol leaf extract of J. curcas was most effective as it showed larval mortality of 75 to 100% on the test larvae after 30 minutes to 24 hours of exposure while the methanol stem extract showed 60 to 100% larval mortality. Hexane leaf extract showed larval mortality of 65 to 100% after 30 minutes to 24 hours of exposure whereas hexane stem extract had larval mortality of 60 to 100%. However, the aqueous leaf extract had 40 to 100% mortality as the aqueous stem extract showed 35 to 100% mortality after 30 minutes to 24 hours respectively. The methanol leaf extract showed highest toxicity against the test larvae with LC₅₀ value of 2.52 mg/ml; and LC₉₀ value of 218.15 mg/ml while the least toxicity was observed on aqueous stem extract with LC₅₀ value of 70.71 mg/ml; and LC₉₀ value of 1635.76 mg/ml after 30 minutes of exposure respectively. All the test larvae treated with various extracts exhibited 100% mortality after 24 hours of exposure with less concentrations of the extract required to kill the larvae as time of exposure increased. The toxicity of the various leaf extracts on the mosquito larvae were relatively greater than those of the stem. This is supported by the abundance of secondary metabolites. The findings suggest that the hexane, methanol and aqueous leaf and stem extracts of J. curcas have the potential to be used as an effective botanical larvicide.

The antidiarrhoeal effects of Lantana camara ethanol leaf and stem extracts were compared in Wistar rats. The phytochemical and acute toxicity tests were also determined. The extracts were evaluated for castor oil- induced diarrhoea and enteropooling as well as intestinal transit in rats. The ethanol stem extract produced significant (P < 0.05), while the ethanol leaf extract produced significant (P < 0.01) dose dependent protection on rats against castor oil induced diarrhoea. The stem extract inhibited intestinal transit time and caused significant (P < 0.05), while leaf extract caused significant (P < 0.01) dose related inhibition of castor oil induced enteropooling in rats, comparable to the standard drugs. The leaf and stem extracts significantly and dose dependently delayed the onset of castor oil induced diarrhoea, decreased the frequency of defecation and reduced the severity of diarrhoea in rats. The ethanol leaf and stem extracts of L. camara significantly and dose dependently decreased the volume of intestinal fluid accumulation in the castor oil induced enteropooling. The distance travelled by charcoal meal in intestinal transit time was also reduced. The oral LD50 values obtained were greater than 5000 mg/kg in rats. These findings suggest that both ethanol leaf and stem extracts of Lantana camara may contain some biologically active ingredients that are active for the treatment of diarrhoea in Nigerian herbal traditional medicine. However, the leaf extract has more antidiarrhoeal activities compared to the stem extract in castor oil-induced diarrhoeal in Wistar rats.

Medicinal plants and plant remedies have been in use in Ethiopia for centuries. Studies on ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, and ethnoveterinary estimate that nearly 80% of Ethiopians use some type of medicinal plants and plant remedies. Medicinal plants are regarded as the most important and sometimes the only source of therapeutics in the country. Some 800 plant species are used as sources of medicine to treat about 300 physical and mental disorders. However, because these plant species are not adequately studied, there is a big limitation in their documentation, profiling, and management. Moreover, there is a continuous loss of knowledge about medicinal plants because the communities and people are adopting new lifestyles. Hence, this article reports the finding of a study aimed at providing the gross phytochemical characteristics and antimicrobial activities of ethanol and aqueous extracts of fruit, leaf, and stem of Solanum incanum L. against two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) and two Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria for developing gross antimicrobial profile of the plant. Phytochemical screening of fruit, leaf, and stem extracts of S. incanum has shown that it is the source of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, terpenoids, and steroids. According to agar disc-diffusion tests, 100 mg/mL extracts of the plant produced bacterial growth inhibition zones of 0.00 to 16.06 mm. Ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts produced inhibition zones ranging from 11.34 to 16.06 mm against all bacterial species. The greatest inhibition zone of 16.06 mm was recorded in E. coli subjected to ethanol leaf extract. The same extract resulted in a growth inhibition zone of 16.04 mm in S. aureus. The greatest growth inhibition zones in B. subtilis (13.34 mm) and S. typhi (11.56 mm) were observed with ethanol leaf and fruit extracts, respectively. Aqueous leaf extracts produced growth inhibition zones ranging from 10.45 mm (for S. typhi) to 14.02 mm (for E. coli). Ethanol leaf extracts resulted in the lowest Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) of 1.56 mg/mL in E. coli and S. aureus. Therefore, fruits, leaves, and stems of S. incanum can be regarded as good sources of some bioactive compounds. The findings are important for taking measures for conservation and sustainable use of the plant as well as for further elucidation of its phytochemistry and antimicrobial efficacy of its constituents.

Plants are adundantly and are very promisive to be used as source of drugs in many diseases or infections and also it is a main agents of antioxidants which prevents the oxidative stress that are caused by the free radicals. There are numerous studies based on the pharmaceutical and classification of medicinal plants throughout the world. Leaves, fruits, roots are most frequently plant parts used in many research and studies. Here the present study was aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activity of aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts of Andrographis paniculata Nees and Rhinacanthus nasutus Kurz. Antioxidant is a substance which is used to prevent some types of cell damage in the body. Determination of their in vitro antioxidant activity were carried out by using methods such as DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl assay), ABTS (2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin 6-sulfonic acid assay), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power assay) and SOD (super oxide anion scavenging) assay, H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging) assay. Moreover the ethanolic leaf extracts showed best antioxidant activity than the aqueous leaf extracts. Experimental results reveals that the leaves of A. paniculata have potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity than R. nasutus. Further investigation must be done for these two medicinal plants for the discovery of the bioactive compounds.

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) consumption as shown by different studies is attributed to many health benefits, like in prevention of hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and even type 2 diabetes due to its phytochemical constituents. The anti-diabetic effects of the seed, flesh, rind and leaf of yellow flesh watermelon extracts were evaluated through the inhibition of alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase enzymes activities by standard methods. The total phenolics content (TPC) and the total antioxidant capacities of the extracts were also evaluated using 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2’-diphenyl-1,1-pycrylhydrazine (DPPH) assay methods. Metabolites of the 70% aqueous extract were profiled by liquid chromatographic mass spectrometry. Result of the study showed that the 70% aqueous ethanol flesh extract showed the highest α-amylase inhibition, followed by ethanol leaf extract. The 70% aqueous ethanol leaf extract had the highest α-glucosidase inhibition potential than the other studied extracts. The highest and lowest TPC were observed in 80% and 50% aqueous ethanol leaf and flesh extracts respectively. Ethanolic leaf extract showed the highest antioxidant activity in terms of FRAP, been higher than that of standard ascorbic acid. Based on ABTS radical scavenging and FRAP, 70% aqueous ethanol leaf extract had the highest antioxidant activity. The 90% aqueous ethanol gave the highest extraction yield for seed, 60% for flesh and rind, and 100% ethanol for leaf extract. Among the metabolites identified in watermelon extracts are curcumenol, curcubitacin E, citrulline, 6-gingerol, citric acid, ascorbic acid, leucine, arginine, palmitic acid, arjunolic acid, glucose, fructose, sucrose, naringenin 5,7-dimethyl ether 4'-O-xylosyl-(1->4)-arabinoside, 4'-apo-beta,psi-caroten-4'-al, caffeic acid 3-glucoside, luteolin 7-rhamnosyl (1->6) galactoside, apigenin 7-(4'',6''-diacetylalloside)-4'-alloside among others. Therefore, this result indicates that C. lanatus has antidiabetic and antioxidant potentials. The leaf having the best α-glucosidase inhibition ability and the best antioxidant potentials, could be regarded a good raw material to explore lead molecule(s) against diabetes mellitus and antioxidant.

Aims: The study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemical and antioxidant potentials of ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca vis-a-vis standard antioxidants. Study Design: True experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, University of Benin, Benin City. Nigeria, between August and October 2015. Methodology: Samples were harvested, air dried, pulverized and extracted with aqueous and absolute ethanol; freeze dried at the National energy commission centre, University of Benin. Total phenol content was determined by Folin-ciocalteau method, tannin determined according to Folin and Denis methods while flavonoids content was determined according to the methods described by Ebrahimzadeh et al. DPPH radical scavenging activity was conducted based on the ability of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), a stable free radical, to decolorize in the presence of antioxidants. Reducing power activity of extracts was conducted based on test samples extract’ Original Research Article Osagie-Eweka et al.; EJMP, 13(3): 1-11, 2016; Article no.EJMP.24736 2 ability to reduce ferricyanide to ferrocyanide indicated in the colour change. Total antioxidant activity of ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts was determined based on the ability of the sample to reduce the ferric-tripyridyltriazine (Fe (III)-TPTZ) complex to ferrous tripyridyltriazine (Fe(II)-TPTZ) at low pH. Hydroxyl radical activity of extracts was conducted on the principle based on the ability of test samples to reduce H2O2 in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline. Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity of extracts was conducted based on the ability of test sample to scavenge 2,2’azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical generated based on the principle of decolourization. Nitric oxide (NO.) radical scavenging activity of S, glauca leaf extracts was estimated based on the ability of test samples to scavenge radicals generated by the reaction of naphthylethylenediamine dihydrochloride. Butylated hydroxytuolene (BHT), Ascorbate, Quercetin and Trolox were standard antioxidant. Results: DPPH radical scavenging activity yielded aqueous and ethanol extracts IC50 values of 3.2144 and 4.9100 μg/ml respectively. Reducing power activity yielded (aqueous and ethanol extracts) EC50 of values 60.3233 and 60.1000 μg/ml respectively. Total antioxidant activity yielded (ethanol and aqueous extracts) IC50 values of 52.4320 and 68.8201 μg/ml respectively. Hydroxyl radical activity yielded (ethanol and aqueous extracts) IC50 values of 49.3130 and 50.2341 μg/ml respectively. Trolox equivalent antioxidant activity yielded (ethanol and aqueous extracts) IC50 values of 45.2015 and 52.0721 μg/ml respectively. Nitric oxide scavenging activity yielded aqueous IC50 value of 14.2102 μg/ml but ethanol extract yielded no inhibition concentration at 50 percent. Conclusion: The study showed that aqueous and ethanol leaf extracts of S. glauca demonstrated substantial amount of biochemically valuable phytochemicals and antioxidant potential capable of scavenging reactive oxygen species.

ABSTRACTFicus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae) is a well-known medicinal plant used in customary medication among the Malay people to reduce and mend sicknesses such as ulcers, psoriasis, cytotoxicity, cardioprotective, inflammation, jaundice, vitiligo, hemorrhage, diabetes, convulsion, hepatitis, dysentery injuries, wounds, and stiffness. Ficus deltoidea contains a wide variety of bioactive compounds from different phytochemical groups such as alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins, sterols, terpenes, carbohydrates, and proteins. The genus Ficus has several hundreds of species, which shows excellent therapeutic effects and a wide variety of helpful properties for human welfare. Searching information was collected by using electronic databases including Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer, SciFinder, PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar. This review is, therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on its pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, phytochemical, and pharmacological properties of Ficus and its important species. This summary could be beneficial for future research aiming to exploit the therapeutic potential of Ficus and its useful medicinal species.

Phytochemical investigation and evaluation of in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Euphorbia hirta ethanol leaf and root extracts: A comparative study

BackgroundThe present study aims to probe the impact of polarity dependent extraction efficiency variation on pharmacological spectrum of Datura innoxia Mill. in order to reconnoiter its underexplored therapeutic potential.MethodsA range of solvent extracts was subjected to phytochemical and biological assays to find the most proficient solvent system and plant part for each type of bioactivity. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined colorimetrically and specific polyphenols were quantified by HPLC-DAD analysis. The samples were biologically evaluated by employing multimode antioxidant, cytotoxic, protein kinase inhibition and antimicrobial assays.ResultsAmong all the solvents used, maximum percent extract recovery (33.28 %) was obtained in aqueous leaf extract. The highest amount of gallic acid equivalent phenolic and quercetin equivalent flavonoid content was obtained in the distilled water and ethyl acetate-ethanol extracts of leaf i.e., 29.91 ± 0.12 and 15.68 ± 0.18 mg/g dry weight (DW) respectively. Reverse phase HPLC-DAD based quantification revealed the presence of significant amounts of catechin, caffiec acid, apigenin and rutin ranging from 0.16 to 5.41 mg/g DW. Highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 16.14 μg/ml) was displayed by the ethyl acetate-acetone stem extract. Maximum total antioxidant capacity and reducing power potential were recorded in the aqueous leaf and ethyl acetate stem extracts i.e., 46.98 ± 0.24 and 15.35 ± 0.61 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g DW respectively. Cytotoxicity against brine shrimps categorized 25 % of the leaf, 16 % of the stem and 8.3 % of the fruit extracts as highly potent (LC50 ≤ 100 μg/ml). Significant cytotoxicity against human leukemia (THP-1) cell line was exhibited by the chloroform and n-hexane fruit extracts with IC50 4.52 and 3.49 μg/ml respectively. Ethyl acetate and methanol-chloroform extracts of leaf and stem exhibited conspicuous protein kinase inhibitory activity against Streptomyces 85E strain with 22 mm bald phenotype. A noteworthy antimicrobial activity was exhibited by leaf extracts against Micrococcus luteus and n-hexane fruit extract against Aspergillus niger (MIC 3.70 and 12.5 μg/ml respectively).ConclusionMultiple solvent system is a crucial variable to retrieve pharmacological potential of medicinal plants and D. innoxia can be envisaged as a novel source of natural antioxidants, antimicrobials and anticancer compounds.

Ageratum conyzoides L. is potential allelopathic weed very useful for its antifungal and antimicrobial activity. Being environmentally safe and friendly, it has the potential to substitute synthetic fungicides. The current study, therefore, was designed to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of aqueous methanolic and n-hexane extracts of A. conyzoides against the pathogenic fungi, Fusarium solani Mart. (Sacc.), isolated from roots of egg plant ( Solanum melongena ). The target fungus was exposed to various concentrations (2, 4 and 6% w/v) of aqueous, methanolic and n-hexane extracts of Inflorescence, leaf, stem and root. All the employed concentrations of extracts of four plant parts significantly suppressed the growth of the target fungal pathogen. The n-hexane extracts of leaf and inflorescence caused highly significant reduction of 84% in growth of F. solani followed by stem and root extracts which caused which caused 80% and 72% reduction in growth, respectively. The same pattern in growth reduction was observed in methanolic and aqueous extracts. Among the four parts of the tested weed, different concentrations of the methanolic extract of leaf were found to be highly effective in controlling target fungal species resulting in up to 78% reduction in fungal biomass over control followed by inflorescence (74% reduction), stem (63% reduction) and root (59% reduction) at highest used concentration. In case of aqueous extracts, the maximum reduction was observed in leaf extract (72%) followed by inflorescence, stem and root, respectively. Key words: Ageratum conyzoides , aqueous extract, Fusarium solani , n-hexane extract, methanolic extract.

The search for the healing properties of plants is an ancient idea that has remained even till date. In this work, the antibacterial activity of leaf extracts of Corchorus olitorius, Pterocarpus santaliniodes, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Azadirachta indica was tested against resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species and Streptococcus species using agar well diffusion method. The following concentrations of 100, 50, 25 and 12.5 mg/ml of aqueous, ethanol and methanol leaf extracts were used against the test organisms. Results of this study reveal that all the leaf extracts had antibacterial activity against the test organisms at various concentrations (in particular: at 100 and 50 mg/ml) but the aqueous leaf extracts had higher inhibitory effect for all of them. However, little inhibitory effect was observed with the methanol and ethanol leaf extracts. Our findings justify the therapeutic use of these plants by traditional healers in most part of Nigeria for the treatment of infections caused by these bacteria. Medicinal plants have unlimited possibilities to produce putative compounds for the development of novel drugs to curtail the upward trend in bacterial resistance, thus the need for sustained research towards this objective. Key words: Plant extracts, microorganisms, resistance, herbal medicine, Nigeria. &nbsp

Profilistic study of bioactivities of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic leaf extracts of Gongronema latifolium in combination with potassium aluminium sulphate (Alum) against some clinical bacterial pathogens were investigated by disc diffusion (DD) and Agar well diffusion (AWD) methods respectively. The leaf extracts at concentrations of 0.1-0.3g were reconstituted in sterile distilled water as well as 1.0-3.0g of alum prior to application. In-vitro bioactivity of various concentrations of the extracts and in combination with alum were evaluated by measuring diameter of inhibition zones (DIZs) respectively. Methanolic leaf extract (MLE) had the largest mean DIZs of 14.5±0.5 and 11.5±0.0mm on Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi, with enhanced bioactivity of 19.5±0.7 and 17.5±0.7mm with alum against Bacillus subtilis, Sal. typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by DD and AWD methods respectively. However, aqueous leaf extract (ALE) and ethanolic leaf extract (ELE) and their combinations depicted appreciable antibacterial activity on the pathogens but incomparable to MLE. Generally, there was enhancement of bioactivties with the incorporation of Alum to the leaf extracts (irrespective of solvent of extraction) on a dose response fashion particularly by AWD method. Furthermore, the low MIC values of <0.05 to 0.2mg/ml on the bacteria with MLE and ALE, validates their potency and broad spectrum activity. In contrast, the very large DIZs of Ciprofloxacin (CP) reflects the beneficial impact of purified chemotherapeutics against pathogens. Thus, the improved efficacy of these extracts with alum would justify future application in ethnomedicine as well as in nutraceuticals/pharmaceuticals or in food systems as “green chemicals” or “biopreservatives”.International Current Pharmaceutical Journal, October 2018, 6(12): 92-98

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.

The aim of this study was to examine possible antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of 95% ethanol or water extract from water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk) organs. DPPH staining, total phenolic compounds, total flavonoid content, DPPH radical, reducing power method, FTC method, and inhibition of cancer cell prolifera- tion were employed. Ethanol extract of stem demonstrated a positive effect in DPPH staining when it was diluted to 6.25 mg dry matter/mL while all other fractions showed no effect at the same dilution. This fraction also had the highest content of the total phenolic compounds, as well as the highest reducing power and FTC activity. Ethanol extract of leaf had the highest amount of flavonoids. Using DPPH colorimetric method, it was found that ethanol extract of stem had the highest radical-scavenging activity, followed by ethanol extract of leaf. The antiproliferative activities of water spinach extracts were studied in vitro using human lymphoma NB4 cells, and the following results were found: water extract of stem had the highest antiproliferative activity with an EC 50 of 661.40 ± 3.36 µg dry matter/mL, followed by ethanol extract of stem and ethanol extract of leaf. The water extract of leaf had the lowest antiproliferative activity (EC 50 >1000 µg dry matter/mL) under the experimental conditions.

Medicinal plants are a great source of antibacterial and prebiotic properties that can treat a wide range of human diseases. Senna alata, also known as "candle bush," has many health benefits. It has antimicrobial properties and has been used for centuries to treat skin infections [1] and digestion-related problems such as constipation, stomach discomfort, and liver diseases [2]. This study aimed to screen the phytoconstituents of S. alata leaf extracts, study their antimicrobial activity against several intestinal pathogens, and investigate their potential prebiotic effects against a few probiotic strains.
 
 Aqueous and ethanolic S. alata leaf extracts were obtained by the maceration method, then dried and stored until used. A qualitative phytochemical analysis of S. alata leaf extracts was performed to determine the presence of biomolecules such as anthraquinones, carbohydrates, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, tannins, and alkaloids. For the antimicrobial study, serial two-fold dilutions of leaf extracts in concentrations ranging from 10 mg/mL to 0.02 mg/mL were performed in a 96-well microplate to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). For the prebiotic study, serial two-fold dilutions of leaf extracts in concentrations ranging from 10 mg/mL to 1.25 mg/mL were conducted in a 96-well microplate to study the growth rate of probiotics by measuring its optical density (OD) at 0 and 24 hours of incubation at 600 nm.
 
 Aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts showed the presence of tannin, saponins, alkaloids, carbohydrates, and flavonoids. Anthraquinones were not detected in any of the extracts, and phenols could only be detected in the ethanolic leaf extract. At the tested concentrations, both leaf extracts showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhi, and Klebsiella pneumoniae based on the MIC values (Table 1). The growth rate of Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum were significantly increased (p <0.05) after being treated with aqueous leaf extract at 24 hours of incubation (Figure 1). A similar growth pattern was obtained with L. helveticus and B. longum treated with ethanolic leaf extracts (Figure 2).
 In conclusion, aqueous and ethanolic S. alata leaf extracts displayed antimicrobial activities to certain intestinal pathogenic bacteria at the preliminary extract concentrations employed in the present study. Besides, the extracts have a stimulative effect on the growth of probiotic microorganisms which are typical members of intestinal microbiota. This study provides further evidence that suggests S. alata is one of the prebiotics which could potentially be used to ease the related digestive problems.