Phytochemical investigation and evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activities of leaf-bud exudate of <i>Tarenna asiatica </i><span style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:IT; mso-bidi-font-style:italic" lang="IT">(L.) Kuntze ex K. Schum.<span style="mso-ansi-language:IT" lang="IT"> </span></span>

Abstract

<i>Tarenna</i> <i>asiatica </i><span style="color:black;mso-ansi-language:IT;mso-bidi-font-style:italic" lang="IT">(L.) <span style="color:black;mso-bidi-font-style:italic" lang="EN-GB">Kuntze ex K. Schum. (Magnoliophyta: Rubiaceae) <span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">is traditionally used as anthelmintic, antiseptic, antiulcer and to promote suppuration. The leaf-bud exudates collected from the local forests was extracted with benzene by maceration. Preliminary chemical tests were conducted for select secondary metabolites aside isolating the known flavone, corymbosin. Employing the cup-plate method, different concentrations of benzene extract and corymbosin were screened against <i>Bacillus sphaericus</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">, <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae </i>and<i> Staphylococcus aureus</i>, using streptomycin as the standard drug. The extract evinced a weak to moderate activity against all the strains tested while corymbosin was inactive. The antioxidant activity of the benzene extract was studied by nitric oxide scavenging activity, reduction of DPPH free radical, iron-induced lipid peroxidation and superoxide scavenging activity, with ascorbic acid as the standard drug. The extract was found to be IC₅₀ in the range of 20-60 g/mL in the assays performed.

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