Abstract:
Many pharmaceutical drug discoveries originated from traditional folk medicine and it’s
associated plant materials and bioactive secondary metabolites. The genus Garcinia,
belonging to the Family Clusiaceae which comprises of about 300 species, have been
widely investigated in terms of their bioactive ingredients. Garcinia is a rich source of
secondary metabolites. Phytochemical investigations of the plant parts indicated that the
fruit, twig and stem are the best source of secondary metabolites, providing flavonoids,
phloroglucinols and xanthones respectively. Many of the isolated compounds have a
wide range of pharmacological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory,
antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-HIV, antidepressant and antioxidant.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity
of dichloromethane extract of Garcinia cowa. The antioxidant activity was measured by
DPPH and total Phenol test. The IC50 values of DPPH test was 53.404 μg/ml for
dichloromethane extract of Garcinia cowa stems. The Total Phenol content was 173.93
± 5.87 mg/g equivalent to Gallic Acid for methanol extract of Garcinia cowa stem. By
determining antioxidant property, the result suggests that the plant extract which have
been tested possesses antioxidant property. The antimicrobial activities of
dichloromethane extract of Garcinia cowa stem were tested against ten
microorganisms by observing the zone of inhibition. The antimicrobial test was
performed by disc diffusion method. The dichloromethane extract of Garcinia cowa
stem showed good antimicrobial activities (6 mm-16mm) against the microorganisms.
Dichloromethane extract of Garcinia cowa stem showed highest activity against Sarcina
lutea and Pseudomonas aureus.Moderate activity against Vibrio parahemolyticus,
E.coli, Bacillus megaterium, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae.
In conclusion, further investigations are needed to identify the active constituents and
the exact mechanisms of action responsible for the reported antioxidant an antimicrobial
properties of Garcinia cowa.
Description:
This thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) in East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
