Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potentiality Assessment of Bioactive Leaf Extracts of Four Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants

Aim: The present study involves the screening and assessment of phytochemical composition of V. negundo, A. carambola, A. indica and J. gendarussa leaves extract. The extracts were further assessed for their antioxidant and antimicrobial potentialities against Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Enterococcus which have clinical importance in the disease biology. Material and Methods: Leaves of four plants, namely, Vitex negundo, Averrhoea carambola, Azadirachta indica and Justicia gendarussa, were extracted with hexane, chloroform, ethanol and methanol to determine phytochemical potential and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Phytochemical potentiality was tested by spectrophotometric methods and the antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus were screened using disc diffusion methods. Antimicrobial activity was calculated by measuring the diameter of the Inhibition Zone (IZ) around the discs. Results: The qualitative analysis in the study identified polyphenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates and tannins in the extracts and the amount of flavonoids, phenols, tannins and carbohydrates were quantitatively determined. All extracts contained alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides and tannins, indicating that they had rich phytochemical profiles. Significantly, the chloroform extract of Vitex negundo contained the most carbohydrates, whereas the chloroform extract of Justicia gendarussa displayed the highest level of flavonoids. Whereas, the methanol extract of Vitex negundo displayed considerable phenolic components and the hexane extract of Justicia gendarussa showed the best antioxidant activity. The methanol and chloroform extracts of V. negundo possess antimicrobial properties in this study. Conclusion: The results of the present investigation suggest that studied plants are excellent sources of nutraceuticals against various ailments. The methanol extract of Vitex negundo displayed considerable phenolic components and the hexane extract of Justicia gendarussa contained the highest antioxidant activity. As methanol extract of V. negundo has significant antimicrobial property, therefore, the selected extract may be explored by phytomolecular analysis as an antimicrobial agent.