Abstract

PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ANTIFUNGAL AND ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITIES OF BARK AND LEAVES EXTRACTS OF FICUS BENGALENSIS LINN

*Arvinder Kaur, Jasreen Kaur, Maninderjeet Kaur, Gurdeep Kaur, Rajinder Kaur, Manpreet Kaur, Amit Kapoor

ABSTRACT

Nystatin, was used as a standard drug for antifungal activity. The bark and leaves of F. bengalensis were subjected to successive Soxhlet extraction using different solvents in an increasing order of their polarity viz starting from petroleum ether (60-80oC), chloroform, methanol and then distilled water. Weighed quantity of the various extracts, were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening. Antifungal activity of crude extract on Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger fungal strains were analyzed by Agar diffusion cup plate method. All the extracts viz Petroleum ether (PE), Chloroform (CE), Methanol (ME) and Water (WE) were used in range of 25 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml for screening antifungal activity. Piperazine is used as standard drug for Anthelmintic activity. Both aqueous and methanol extracts of F. bengalensis in range of 50 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml were screened for Anthelmintic activity. Antifungal activity is not observed by pet ether, chloroform, methanol and water extracts in concentration range from 25 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml. The methanol extract showed potent anthelmintic activity at dose of 25 mg/ml than water extract. F. bengalensis possesses good anthelmintic activity. The antifungal activity is may be due to the presence of flavonoids and phenolic compoundspresent in whole plant.

Keywords: Anthelmintic activity, Antifungal activity, Piperazine, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Extracts, F. bengalensis.