PHYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF Diospyrosnigrescens LEAVES EXTRACT AND ASSESSMENT OF ITS ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES
This research work investigated the phytochemicals present in Diospyros nigrescens leaves ethyl acetate extract andits antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The extract was prepared using the Soxhlet extraction technique with99.5% ethyl acetate as the solvent. Phytochemical profiling was performed through GC-MS and FTIR analysis. Theantibacterial potential of the extract was examined through agar well diffusion assay against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The extract's antioxidant capacity was assessedthrough DPPH and FRAP techniques. GC–MS profiling detected 37 compounds. The FTIR spectra confirmedtheexistence of multiple functional groups, including alcohols, alkanes, esters, phenols, ethers, ketones, alkynes, nitrocompounds, carboxylic acids, alkyl halides and amines. Quantitative assays indicated 79.83 ± 0.99 mg GAE/ gdryweight of phenols and 110.17 ± 0.20 mg QE / g dry weight of flavonoids. The extract exhibited strong antibacterial activity, with the largest zones observed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Additionally, it showed potent antioxidant potential, demonstrated by a low DPPH radical scavenging IC50 value (10.45 ±0.66µg/mL) and a strong ability to reduce ferric ion by the FRAP test. The findings suggest that the ethyl acetate extract of D. nigrescens leaves possesses significant antibacterial and antioxidant activities, demonstrating its potential for formulating new therapeutic agents derived from plants.
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