Muskan Sinha, Divya Kumari, Ushakar Mishra, Benazir Fatima and Abha Singh
Plants have been a source of inspiration for novel drug compounds, providing significant contributions to human health and wellbeing. Their naturally occurring chemicals are biologically active substances, known as phytochemicals, which provide defence against environmental stressors. The aim of the present study is to examine the phytochemicals present in Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Family-Lamiaceae) and to study its antimicrobial potential against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli. To get the plant extract, two techniques (decoction and maceration) were applied, with three different solvents (acetone, methanol and double distilled water), to check the presence/absence of various phytochemicals in the plant extract. The preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract prepared through decoction, showed good results for the presence of phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins and tannins in comparison to maceration in double distilled water (DDW) extracts, followed by the methanol and acetone extracts. Quantitative estimation of total phenolic contents (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC) were carried out by using Folin Ciocalteu method and aluminum chloride method, respectively, using UV-vis spectrophotometer (Systronics, 119). The methanolic extracts processed through maceration had exhibited maximum value of TPC (55.44 μg GAE g -1 extract) and TFC (2.70 μg QE g -1), as compared to acetone, decoction and DDW extracts. The maximum zone of inhibition (13 mm) with significant antibacterial activity against S. pyogenes were shown by acetone extract, followed by methanol extracts while no effect was observed in the DDW extract. Therefore, utilising R. officinalis may help to combat the problems, associated with the usage of synthetic antibiotics, because these plant based natural antibiotics have great therapeutic potential without any side effects.
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