<span style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA" lang="EN-US">Antibacterial, antioxidant and phytochemical properties of the ethanolic extract of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ocimum obovatum </i>E.Mey. ex Benth.</span>

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">This study evaluated the potential antibacterial, antioxidant and phytochemical properties of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ocimum obovatum </i>E.Mey. ex Benth. The ethanolic extract of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">O. obovatum </i>was tested <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">in vitro</i> against Gram-positive (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">sp<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Escherichia coli</i>) and Gram-negative (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Proteus </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">sp.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> Pseudomonas </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">sp.) strains of bacteria by the disc diffusion method. The maximum inhibition was against <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Staphylococcus aureus </i>with an inhibition zone of 18 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract against the bacteria was also determined. A standard antibiotic disc with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Chloramphenicol</i> was used as the positive control. The extract was further tested for antioxidant activity using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH) method which was then compared with standard butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Antioxidant activity was IC₅₀220±0.05µg/ml. Phytochemical screening of the leaves showed the presence of carbohydrates, phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, fixed oils and fats, glycosides and terpenoids.</span></span></span></span>