Investigation on Calamus tenuis Roxb. leaves: Quantitative phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activity

Calamus tenuis Roxb. leaves were tested for its quantitative phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activities using three different solvents (n-hexane, chloroform and methanol). From the results obtained, the highest concentrations total phenol, total tannin and flavonoid contents were found in methanol (80.0 ± 0.2 mgGAE/g, 136.8 ± 3.5 mgGAE/g, 288.4 ± 2.3 mgQE/g respectively), while lowest concentrations were found in n-hexane (21.6 ± 0.1 mgGAE/g, 59.1 ± 0.9 mgGAE/g, 81.2 ± 4.4 mgQE/g, respectively). In vitro antioxidant properties were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative DPPH free radical scavenging method, where ascorbic acid was used as standard. Throughout the study, methanol extract showed marked antioxidant activity (IC50=121.9 ± 11.34 µg/mL), whereas in n-hexane, it was found the lowest antioxidant activity (IC50= 654.99 ± 342.6 µg/mL). Selected pathogens (Micrococcus, Salmonella typi, Vibrio cholera, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli) were tested using those solvent extracts of two different concentrations (100 and 200 µg/disc). E.coli was reluctant to all solvent extracts except methanol (6.5 ± 0.6 mm) of 200 µg/disc. Chloroform extract of 200 µg/disc exhibited nearly same activity against Micrococcus (5.8 ± 0.2 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (6.0 ± 0.0 mm), Vibrio cholera (6.3 ± 0.3 mm) and Salmonella typhi (6.2 ± 0.2 mm), while it had no activity against E. coli. Zone of inhibition of n-hexane extract (200 µg/disc) against Salmonella typhi was significantly higher (13.3 ± 3.0 mm) than chloroform and methanol extract.

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