ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF CAPPARIS FASCICULARIS LEAF EXTRACTS

Author

Neebee Barisuka Burabari, H. M. Adamu, D. E. A. Boryo, Jamila Ibrahim Shekarau


Abstract

 Rising microbial resistance to synthetic antibiotics and growing interest in natural antioxidants have renewed attention on underexplored medicinal plants such as Capparis fascicularis. This study evaluated the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of leaf extracts of C. fascicularis obtained using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol. Antioxidant activity was assessed by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric chloride (FeCl₃) assays at concentrations of 200–1000 ppm. All extracts showed concentration-dependent antioxidant activity, with the methanol extract consistently the most active (31.3–64.0% in the H₂O₂ assay, 36.9–75.2% in the DPPH assay and 36.7–65.9% in the FeCl₃ assay). Antimicrobial activity, assessed by agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhi, Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus, showed the methanol extract to have the broadest spectrum of activity, with zones of inhibition of 8.5–31 mm against bacteria and 10–20 mm against fungi and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 100–200 mg/mL against most organisms. The acetone extract produced the lowest MIC against S. aureus (20 mg/mL). Minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) ranged from 200–400 mg/mL. None of the extracts showed activity against A. flavus. These findings indicate that C. fascicularis leaf extracts, particularly the methanol fraction, possess appreciable antioxidant and broad-spectrum antibacterial potential warranting further isolation and mechanistic study of the responsible bioactive compounds.



Keywords

Capparis fascicularis; antioxidant activity; DPPH; antimicrobial activity; minimum inhibitory concentration



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References


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