PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF DIOSCOREA BULBIFERA L. FRUITS

Abstract

Dioscorea bulbifera (Pita aalu) is a medicinal plant belongs to famility Dioscoreaceae, used to cure various diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, diabetes, dysentery, cancer, piles and skin infections. We designed the present study to analyse phytochemical and antibacterial activity of D. bulbifera fruit so as to conform its edible property. For this we followed phytochemical screening of the fruit extracts and found that it is consist of tannin, saponin, phenols, steroids, terpenoids and some carbohydrates in high concentration. The antibacterial activity of aqueous extract of the fruit against Streptococcus mutans pathogen was determined by using agar well diffusion, disc diffusion and broth dilution assay. From the results it was confirmed that the aqueous extract of the fruits of D. bulbifera showed high inhibition zone at 100µg/ml is 19 mm in agar well diffusion, 14 mm in disc diffusion assay. The minimum inhibitory concentratiom (MIC) of extract of D. bulbifera arranged in respect to the parts from 100 µg/ml, 200 µg/ml, 300 µg/ml, 400 µg/ml, 500µg/ml and inoculums control showed visible growth due to no antimicrobial agents, whereas the broth control showed no growth due to absence of bacteria. Presence of primary and secondary metabolites indicates the nutraceutical value of D. bulbifera fruits. So the fruits of D. bulbifera can be used as a tool against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).