Abstract

IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY, FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY AND ANTIMUTAGENIC POTENTIAL OF STEM EXTRACT OF CAPPARIS DECIDUA

Joginder Singh Duhan*, Manju Bhardwaj, Pardeep Kumar Sadh and Surekha

ABSTRACT

The antimicrobial and antioxidant potency of acetone, chloroform and methanol extracts of stem of Capparis decidua was investigated by employing agar well diffusion assay and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) superoxide scavenging assay. While antimutagenic activity was conducted by Maron and Ames assay using Salmonella typhimurium TA100 tester strain against sodium azide. Stem powder of the plant was extracted with different solvent by maceration method in order of increasing polarity. Among the three extracts tested, maximum inhibition of growth was observed in S. aureus in methanol extract, followed C. albican in acetone and B. subtilis in chloroform extract whereas chloroform extract showed maximum scavenging response i.e. 84% followed by methanol extract (83%) and acetone extract (69%) in NBT assay, respectively, at maximum concentration tested. The inhibitory potential was compared with standard antioxidant (L-ascorbic acid). The IC50 value of the chloroform and methanol extract of the stem of C. decidua was more than that of L-ascorbic acid showing the maximum inhibitory effect. Almost similar results were observed in DPPH assay. Two modes of experiments were followed for antimuagenic activity i.e. co-incubation and pre-incubation. Enhanced inhibitory activity i.e. 143.7 and 107.6% at 1.00x103 concentrations was observed in acetone and methanol extract in pre-incubated mode while in co-incubated mode, maximum inhibitory activity observed was i.e.118.7 and 118% in both the extracts at same concentration. However chloroform extract did not show much difference in the antimutagenic activity. The antioxidant and antimutagenic activities were significantly (P<0.05) correlated. These results indicate that, stem extracts of Capparis decidua have antimicrobial, antioxidant as well as antimutagenic properties. Studies are in progress to evaluate the effect of stem extracts by other antioxidant and antimutagenic assays and to identify the factors responsible for these activities.

Keywords: Antimicrobial, antioxidant, antimutagenic, Capparis decidua, sodium azide.