Abstract:
Discopodium penninervium(Almit))is one of the most versatile medicinal plants having
a wide spectrum of biological activities due to the presence of large number of bioactive
compounds. The present study is conducted to evaluate phytochemical test,
antimicrobial activity, antioxidant efficiency, total phenolic content using methanol,
ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extracts. Qualitative phytochemical screenings were
also conducted using methanol, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extracts, which
revealed the presence of cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins,
sterols, , terpenoids, c and alkaloids The antibacterial activity of leaf extract of
Discopodium penninervium was performed against four bacterials species S. aureus, E
coli, S. pyrogens, K. pneumonia, at concentrations of 1000 ppm. The result revealed
that the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts showed a better activity against all disease
causing pathogens bacterial while. The total phenolic content of methanol, ethyl acetate
and petroleum ether extract was 78.438 mgGAE/g, 62.59 mgGAE/g and 55.740
mgGAE/g dry samples respectively. The antioxidant activities of methanol, ethyl acetate
and petroleum ether leaf extracts of Discopodium penninervium were screened using
2.2-diphenyl-1- picryhydrazyl. IC50 values were found to be 43.8414μg/mL , 82.541
μg/mL and 140.659 μg/mL in methanol, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether leaf extracts
respectively for their antioxidant activity by DPPH assay; the lower IC50 value which
showed the radical scavenge activity to be effective in this solvent extract. In the same
condition methanol, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extract showed high antioxidant
activity and oxygen free radicals scavenging abilities which were found almost
equivalent to the ascorbic acid standard antioxidant activity.