In-vitro Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Some Medicinal Plants grown in Western Ghats of India

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate medicinal potential of five mostly used plants from Western Ghats of India. Methanolic, aqueous and ethylaceate extracts of the plant species were screened for its total phenolic, flavonoid contents, in-vitro antioxidant and, antimicrobial activities against pathogenic bacterial and fungal species. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts were determined by disc diffusion method. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The overall antioxidant activity of Narvelia zeylanica and Adathoda zeylancia were found to be the strongest, the IC 50 values of the extracts ranged between 3.12 µg/ml to 15.3 µg/ml. The tested plant extracts presented a remarkable capacity total antioxidant capacity equivalent to vitamin C being, The same extracts were shown to have the highest phenolic and flavonoid values. The total phenol and flavonoid levels varied from 9±0.32 to 24±0.03 mg CE/g dw and 5.32 ± 0.65 to 18.2 ± 0.21 mg GAE/g dw, respectively. Many of the extracts showed activity against pathogenic/toxigenic bacteria and fungal strains. The present study reveals that the selected plants would exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity, and could be harnessed as drug formulation.