Savita Dahiya, Tanya, Jyoti Kirar, Deepak, Priyanka and Pawan Jalwal

Santalum album (sandalwood) is a medicinally important plant widely recognized for its therapeutic, cosmetic, and antimicrobial properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the in-vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of sandalwood and to assess the influence of solvent polarity on bioactivity. Sandalwood heartwood was subjected to extraction using solvents of varying polarity, and the extracts were evaluated for phytochemical constituents, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial efficacy, and metal chelating potential. Antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power, superoxide radical scavenging, and FRAP assays, while antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. The methanolic and ethanolic extracts showed higher extraction yields and a richer phytochemical profile, particularly phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and lignans. Methanolic extract exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, whereas ethanolic extract demonstrated superior antioxidant and metal chelating activity. Overall, the results indicate that sandalwood possesses significant antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, strongly influenced by the extraction solvent, supporting its potential application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations.

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