Antibacterial activity, phytochemicals and essential oils in ethyl acetate extract of Cleistopholis patens

Abstract

The ethyl acetate extract of Cleistopholis patens was investigated for its antibacterial activity against ten bacterial strains and compared with standard antibiotics. The extract was purified and antibacterial activities were compared with the crude extract. The multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) index was determined using known method. The phytochemical components were examined and the essential oil components were also investigated using the GC-MS spectra analysis. The antibacterial test revealed the plant to be active against the test organisms. However, the crude extract showed larger zones of inhibition compared to the purified extract. The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index ranged between 0.42 and 1.0. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of glycosides, steroids, phenols and tannin. Mineral content of plants are Na (24.03%), K (30.14%), Ca (32.31%), Mg (26.09%), Zn (28.09%), Fe (6.70%) and Cu (0.03%). The GC-MS analysis showed the presence of essential oils predominantly fatty acids, sterols, esters, terpenes and alcohols with fatty acid occurring in abundance. The presence of essential oil in this plant could be responsible for its biological activities and the result of this work supports the use of the plant in the traditional medicine and herbal treatment of diseases.