PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF IPOMOEA INDICA PLANT LEAF EXTRACTS

Objective: The objective of this study was to phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of the Ipomoea indica plant leaves extracts.Methods: The crude powder of the plant leaf samples of I. indica was extracted using methanol and aqueous solvents and subjected to qualitative phytochemical analysis. The antibacterial activity of the aqueous and methanol extracts was tested at different for concentrations. The extract was tested against bacterial strains like Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella typhi, and Escherichia coli.Results: The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycoside, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids and tannins in the solvent extract. The antibacterial activity was performed by using the disc diffusion method, where the largest zone of inhibition was obtained with aqueous extract 75µ concentration against Salmonella typhi (26 mm). The antibacterial activity was compared with the standard antibiotics like Streptomycin.Conclusion: This study suggests that the aqueous extract of the I. indica leaves possesses bioactive compounds with antibacterial activity against the bacterial strains, which can be used to formulate new antibacterial drugs for disease control

Vegetative anatomy of Tabernaemontana alternifolia L. (Apocynaceae) endemic to southern Western Ghats, India

The anatomical description of vegetative parts of Taberenaemontana alternifolia L. belonging to the family Apocynaceae was investigated in the present study. The leaves of T. alternifolia is hypostomatic with paracytic stomata, uniseriate epidermis made up of thin-walled parenchymatous cells covered by thin cuticle on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. The hypodermis comprises of angular collenchyma cells. Mesophyll is dorsiventral containing silica bodies and vascular bundles are bicollateral. The petiole is flattened adaxially and arch-shaped abaxially with a uniseriate epidermis covered by a thin cuticle. The hypodermis is 7-8 layered angular collenchyma cells consisting of laticifers and parenchymatic, cortical layers consisting of silica bodies and thick-walled fibers and U-shaped bicollateral vascular bundles. Secondary growth in stems is characterized by the formation of periderm and thick-walled fibers in the vascular tissues. Bicollateral vascular bundles are covered by sclerenchymatous patches, parenchymatous cortex and pith consist of fibers, laticifers and silica bodies. The root possess unicellular root hairs, compactly arranged thin-walled uniseriate epidermis, 16-18 layered cortex containing silica bodies and fibers, indistinct endodermis, radially arranged vascular bundles and 14-16 arched xylem. Pitted water-storage cells are present in the conjunctive tissue. Lignin deposition was observed in the root stelar region and pith is absent