EVALUATION OF PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF CALOTROPIS PROCERA (AIT) R. BR. LEAVES

Objective: The correlation of phytochemical and antibacterial attributes of Calotropis procera leaves with an intent to understand its potential for application in different clinical investigations. Methods: The different solvent extracts, methanol, ethyl acetate, ethanol, acetone and aqueous extract of the C. procera leaves were subjected to qualitative estimation of phytoconstituents. The antibacterial effect of these extracts was studied against human pathogenic bacterial strains viz. , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus aureus in Mueller-Hinton agar using well-diffusion assay. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was equally determined using serial dilution method. Results: The phytochemical studies revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, reducing sugars, glycosides. The extract showed significant antibacterial activity against all the tested organisms, though it inhibited the growth of Micrococcus aureus more effectively (maximum zone of inhibition: 21 mm); was least effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (minimum zone of inhibition: 12 mm). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of aqueous and organic solvent extracts varied from 5-20 mg/ml. Conclusion: The results suggest that since the leaves of C. procera possess significant antibacterial properties and contain phytoconstituents, it can be potentially exploited for the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents.