Structural and antimicrobial analysis of methanolic extract of punica granatum peel

Abstract

Introduction: The ancient fruit Punica granatum, native to Iran is gaining significant attention from contemporary researchers due to its manifold therapeutic and pharmacological properties. It is well known for antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antioxidant activity since time immemorial. Besides, recent studies are revealing its potent anti-cancer-ous properties with evident anti-metastatic, anti-proliferative and anti-invasive effects on numerous cancer cell lines. Anti-acne property and using Punica as a functional food supplement is an active research area. Objective: The study mainly focuses on identifying the rich diversity of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds present in the methanolic extract of pomegranate fruit peel. Methods: Pomegranate peel powder was soxhelation with 75% methanol to obtain peel extract. Preliminary phytochemical analysis was performed for quantification of phytochemicals. The antimicrobial assay was carried out against 3-gram positive and 3-gram negative bacteria using well diffusion method, with varying concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) of Punica peel extract. FTIR, GC-MS analysis and DPPH assay were performed to identify the functional group, chemical composition and to quantify the antioxidant scavenging activity. Results: Presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenols, steroids, and cardiac glycosides were confirmed by various phytochemical tests. The peel extract exhibited a significant zone of inhibition against 3-gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus aureus) and 3-gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella oxytoca) bacteria. GC-MS revealed the presence of compounds like Ethyl Acetate, Pentanoic Acid, Succinamic Acid and FTIR confirmed functional groups like O-H, C=O, S=O. Conclusion: This culminates the promising pharmacological and medicinal characteristics of Punica granatum. Its high antioxi-dant activity favours efficient utilization for cancer studies.