Phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial activity of Enicostemma littorale

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance has risen in morbidity and mortality due to delay in medical care and rising health care costs. The aims and objectives of this study were to explore plant molecular entities from Enicostemma littorale by isolation, fractionation and antimicrobial activity using four different bacterial strains, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis followed by the establishment of their chemical identity in order to pave the way for potential advancement of plant-based pure therapies for application in the production of new drugs. The ethyl acetate extract was found to possess significant antimicrobial activity when compared to other extracts an attempt was made to fractionate these extracts by column chromatography. On the bases of spectroscopic data IR, NMR and MS and comparing the data in the scientific literature, the chemical structure of the isolated are luteolin (1) and α-amyrin acetate (2). Both isolated compounds showed the highest antibacterial effect, with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 16 to 500 μg/mL, against Gram-positive and Gram negative bacteria, respectively.

Keywords

• Enicostemma littorale
• Phytochemical screening
• Secondary metabolites
• Isolation
• Lupeol
• α-Amyrin acetate