Antibacterial and Antioxidant Potential of Leaf and Seed Extracts of Murraya koenigii (Linn.) Spreng

Abstract

India is known for its rich biodiversity and traditional healers have used flora to cure various human ailments. The same plants are still being used today for the benefit of mankind. Since the beginning of this century, there has been an increasing interest in the study of traditional uses of plants globally as natural products of plant origin is the most important resource for developing new drugs to treat various diseases. In the present study, Murraya koenigii has been evaluated for its antibacterial and antioxidative potential. The selection of the plant was based on the ethnobotanical data available on its traditional use. The extract of leaves and seeds in different solvents viz. acetone, chloroform, ethanol and methanol were examined for their antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The disc diffusion assay and MIC were used to determine antibacterial potential against four bacterial strains namely Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. The different extracts were also assessed for their free radical scavenging activity using DPPH radical assay. Acetone leaf and seed extracts showed maximum activity against S. aureus and K. pneumoniae, respectively. However, methanolic leaf extract exhibited greatest free radical scavenging activity. As the leaf and the seed extracts of Murraya koenigii exhibited significant antibacterial and antioxidative properties, they could be exploited for their therapeutic potential.