Antimicrobial and Free Radical Scavenging Potentials of N-Hexane and Ethyl Acetate Fractions of Phyllanthus Fraternus

Abstract

The genus Phyllanthus (Phyllantaceae) is widely used in the african system of traditional medicine and is reported to have various biological activities. In this study, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of Phyllanthus fraternus leaves were investigated. The antimicrobial screening was carried out against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruguinosa, Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae, using Agar-well diffusion method. The antioxidant activity was carried out using DPPH free radical scavenging capacity. The results show that fractions of Phyllanthus fraternus leaves have DPPH radical scavenging activities with IC₅₀ value of 263.53 mg/mL and 143.56 mg/mL for n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions respectively. For n-hexane fraction, the MICs of the extract were; 80 mg/mL against K. pneumoniae and S. aureus,120 mg/mL against P. aeruginosa and S. typhi, and 160 mg/mL against E. Coli. However, ethyl acetate fraction had MICs of 80 mg/mL against all test organisms except S. aureus (40 mg/mL). The n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of Phyllanthus fraternus leaves exhibited considerable antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, with ethyl acetate fraction been the most potent. This plant extract can be regarded as promising resource for antimicrobial and antioxidant drugs.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Antimicrobial; Phyllanthus fraternus; n-hexane, ethyl acetate fractions.