Yogeshkumar Vaghasiya

Determination of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Potential of Some Medicinal Plants from Saurashtra Region, India

Many plants used in Saurashtra folk medicine have been reported to exhibit high antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In the present study, some parts of five plants, Guazuma ulmifolia L., Manilkara zapota L., Melia azedarach L., Syzygium cumini L. and Wrightia tomentosa R.& S., were evaluated for their antibacterial activity, total phenol content, flavonoid content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity and phytochemical analysis, using successive extraction by cold percolation method with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water. In vitro antibacterial activity was evaluated against five bacterial strains viz. Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter aerogenes by agar well diffusion method. Among the plants screened, W. tomentosa leaf and fruit showed the best antibacterial activity. The Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria. Methanol extract of M. zapota showed the best 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity. Highest total phenol content was shown by M. zapota and S. cumini in methanol extract, while highest flavonoid content was shown by W. tomentosa stem in petroleum ether extract and ethyl acetate extract. In all the plants, cardiac glycosides and triterpenes were more as compared to other phytoconstituents.

Hepatoprotective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on diclofenac sodium induced liver toxicity in rats

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the protective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers against experimentally induced liver toxicity in rats. METHODS Two different doses of methanol extract of Woodfordia fruticosa (WFM) were evaluated for the hepatoprotective activity against diclofenac sodium induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Various biochemical parameters like alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) from serum; total protein (TP), glutathione (GSH) levels, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities from liver were studied; histopathologic changes of liver were also evaluated. RESULTS WFM effectively reduced the elevated levels of serum ALT, AST, ALP and BUN, enhanced the reduced TP, ALB and hepatic GSH, CAT, GPx activity. The histopathological analysis suggested that WFM decreased the degree of liver fibrosis induced by diclofenac. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the hepatoprotective activity of WFM and thus scientifically support the use of this plant in traditional medicine for the treatment of liver disorders.

Antibacterial and preliminary phytochemical and physico-chemical analysis of Eucalyptus citriodora Hk leaf.

The present communication deals with some studies on the antibacterial, physico-chemical and phytochemical parameters of different extracts of Eucalyptus citriodora leaf. The antibacterial study was performed using the agar ditch method on some clinically important bacteria, namely Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes, Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter freundii, Staphylococcus subflava, Bacillus megaterium, and Enterobacter aerogenes. Physico-chemical parameters namely water, methanol, 1,4-dioxane, DMF, acetone soluble extractives, total ash, melting point, and pH were determined according to pharmacopoeial procedures. Methanol gave the maximum extract while it was minimum in water. Phytochemical parameters were screened for alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, saponins, steroids and flavonoids. Tannins and flavonoids gave positive results, while steroids and glycosides were absent. The most susceptible bacteria was C. freundii, while the most resistant was P. vulgaris.