Preliminary Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Activity Studies on the Leaves of the Indian Plant Thevetia neriifolia Juss.

Abstract

Abstract: The leaves of Thevetia neriifolia Juss., an important medicinal plant was subjected to phytochemical screening, pharmacognosy and antimicrobial investigations. Preliminary phytochemical screening of leaves extracts revealed the presence of the bioactive compounds, such as alkaloids, anthroquinones, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins, steroids and tannins in the leaves. Pharmacognostical studies such as extractive values and fluorescence analysis brought out the standardized data in the quality control of this drug. Hexane, chloroform, ethanol and aqueous extracts of leaves showed significant antimicrobial activity against the tested human pathogens. Hexane and ethanol extracts exhibited maximum activity against the tested human pathogens, while aqueous extracts showed minimum activity against fungal pathogens only. The bioactive compounds responsible for these antimicrobial activities could be isolated and identified to develop a new drug of pharmaceutical interest. Key words: Thevetia neriifolia Pharmacognostical Phytochemical screening and Antimicrobial activity