Planta Med 2014; 80 - LP17
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1395077

Evaluation of phytochemicals, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of extracts of Luffa cylindrica leaves

FA Onyegbule 1, C Okoye 1, C Ikeh 2, BO Umeokoli 1, AU Emezie 3
  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • 2Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
  • 3Department of Pharmacognosy & Traditional Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria

Luffa cylindrica is used in treating pains, backaches, rheumatoid arthritis, fever, syphilis, dysentery and tumours. L. cylindrica leaf extracts were studied to explore their suitability for ethnomedicinal uses. L. cylindrica leaves were extracted with methanol, ethyl acetate, absolute ethanol and dichloromethane, using standard method. Extracts of L. cylindrica leaves were evaluated for their phytochemicals, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities using standard methods. The extracts contained moderate quantities of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, protein, starch and glycosides. The extracts exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity at different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/Kg), compared to diclofenac positive control. The extracts of L. cylindrica leaves showed good antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive (B. subtilis and S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli and S. typhi) bacteria, recorded no reasonable activity against the fungal test isolates. Among bacteria, B. subtilis was highly sensitive; using gentamicin and fluconazole as positive controls and DMSO as negative control. The MIC values of 12.5, 12.5 and 100 mg/mL against S. aureus; 25, 100 and 100 mg/mL against B. subtilis; and 12.5, 50, and 100 mg/mL against S. typhi for methanol, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts respectively; were recorded. The extracts exhibited good DPPH Radical Scavenging Assay activity. The measured DPPH activity was 41.46 – 58.68%, 27.59 – 65.18% and 37.58 – 66.29% of inhibition for 12.5 – 200 µg/mL methanol, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts respectively, compared to 45.11 – 64.95% of inhibition of ascorbic acid positive control. The extracts gave IC50 values of 70, 90, and 70 µg/mL; for methanol, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts respectively, compared to 20 µg/mL for ascorbic acid. Extracts of L. cylindrica leaves are natural antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant agent, usable in disease management.

Keywords: Luffa, cylindrical, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial and phytochemicals

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