PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF FRUIT EXTRACTS OF Momordica charantia (var. charantia and var muricata)

Abstract

Momordica charantia, commonly known as bitter gourd or bitter melon, is native to tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia. It is mainly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various illnesses. This study was carried out to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activity of two variations of fruits of M. charantia (var charantia and var muricata). Both samples were extracted with methanol and the crude extracts were subjected to phytochemical screening. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloid, flavonoid, steroid, tannins and terpenoid in var charantia crude extract, whereas var muricata contained alkaloid, flavonoid, tannins and terpenoid. The susceptibility bacteria tests were performed by the disc diffusion method using six bacteria targets, with three strains of gram positive (Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus aureus) and three strains of gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Crude extract of var muricata showed medium antibacterial potential against S. Aureus and P. Aeruginosa, while var charantia showed medium antibacterial potential against E. coli with an inhibition zone between (10-15 mm). Both extracts of M. charantia showed the lowest total antioxidant activity by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity.