Abstract

BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENT OF PHYSALIS ANGULATA LEAVES: ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF ITS IN VITRO SUPPRESSION OF WOUND PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

Addai-Mensah Donkor, Abdallah Yakubu* and Matthew Tei

ABSTRACT

Bioactive components isolated from the raw extracts of medicinal florae have been explored as potential remedy in frequent deleterious diseases. In this study, an isolated compound from the leaves of Physalis angulata was assessed for its partition coefficient and possible bioactivity against certain common disease-causing microorganisms. Column chromatography was employed in isolating the compound from MeOH:CHCl3 solvent polarity. The structure of the compound was mainly deduced based on the results obtained from UV, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopic analyses while equilibrium solubility and log P were measured by modified shake flask method. We have successfully isolated pure Withaphysanolide compound from Physalis angulata leaves and determined its true partition coefficient (P) to be approximately 1.996, demonstrating the hydrophilicity nature of the drug. Anti-infective activity of the isolated compound against six (6) selected clinical isolates exhibited low MIC values underscoring the drug’s significant activity against the entire microorganisms employed in the current investigation. All the test microorganisms showed high sensitivity towards the compound with maximum activity recorded against P. aeruginosa with zone of inhibition of 14.25 ± 3.18 mm at a concentration of 300 μg/ml. However, the drug showed low antifungal activity compared with fluconazole, the positive control of the fungus. The results indicate that the isolated compound has a potential to be developed as an antibacterial agent.

Keywords: Antibacterial, Antifungal, Physalis angulata, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.