Background:
Medicinal plants are having immense potential to cure various health ailments
and used as drugs and remedies for the treatment of various diseases since civilization. Medicinal
property of these plants lies in their secondary metabolites which covered various classes like
phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, etc. Besides this, these secondary metabolites serve as a prototype
to synthesize the new synthetic drugs.
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Objective: The present study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of
leaves extracts of Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantea and characterization of their bioactive
metabolites by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass
Spectroscopy (GC-MS).
Methods:
Methanol, petroleum ether and water were used for the extract preparation using cold percolation
method. Antibacterial activity was assessed by agar well diffusion assay. The antioxidant
activity of both the plants of Calotropis species was carried out by using different assay. Phytochemical
analysis was carried out by using FTIR spectroscopy and GC-MS analysis.
Results:
Methanol extract of both the plants was found to possess highest antioxidant potential in
comparison to other extracts. Methanol extract of C. gigantea and aqueous extract of C. procera
showed the maximum antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains. FTIR analysis of
plants extracts indicates the presence of phenolic compounds, alkanes, carboxylic acids, aldehydes,
aliphatic and aromatic amines, allene, sulfoxides, phenyl ester nitrocompounds and imines. GC-MS
analysis of C. procera aqueous extract showed the presence of R-limonene, mannosamine, tridecane,
1-bromo-, 2-propenoic acid, tridecyl ester, pentatriacontane and 1-hexacosene as major phytochemicals.
C. gigantea methanol extract indicated the presence of hentriacontane, eicosane, 3,3-
dimethylnonadecane, pentacosane, 1-hexacosene, pentatriacontane and clocortolone as major phytochemicals.
Conclusion:
This study provides a systematic base for isolation of the novel bioactive phytochemicals
from the Calotropis plant species and to evaluate their efficacy especially for antioxidant and
antibacterial activities.