Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Efficiency of Marsilea quadrifolia linn (Aquatic Fern)

Author(s)

Sivagurunathan, A., Innocent, B. X.

Author's Affiliation

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out to screen the phytochemistry and antimicrobial efficiency of the aquatic fern Marsilea quadrifolia. The qualitative Phytochemical analysis  carried out in Benzene, Ethanol and Aqueous extracts revealed the presence of Reducing sugar, amino acids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, phytosterols, tannins, alkaloids, proteins and saponins.  Quantitative analysis revealed the presence of 200mg of carbohydrates, 51mg of proteins, 28mg of amino acids, 3mg of flavonoids and 2.8mg of saponins per gram of plant powder.  CHN analysis revealed the presence of 40.51% carbon, 5.47% hydrogen and 3.80% of nitrogen. The EDS Analysis revealed the presence of minerals like carbon 1.46x10^-16, oxygen 3.48x10^-17, potassium 1.20x10^-17 and chlorine 4.5x10^-18 micrograms. The chromatogram of HPTLC revealed the presence of about 11 compounds with different Rf values. Antimicrobial activity for all the three extracts was carried out against five bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, P.aeruginosa and Aeromonas hydrophila) and three fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Pencillium notatum). Pronounced anti-bacterial potential was observed in Benzene extract followed by ethanolic extract, however better zone of inhibition in resisting the growth of fungus was observed with ethanolic extracts and no significant antimicrobial activity was observed in aqueous extract and control. Thus preliminary screening of Marsilea quadrifolia revealed its potential as a potent antimicrobial agent due to the presence of variety of bioactive compounds.

Keywords

Marsilea quadrifolia, Phytochemical analysis, Antimicrobial activity, EDS analysis, CHN Analysis, HPTLC Analysis

Cite This Article

Sivagurunathan, A., Innocent, B. X. (2014). Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Efficiency of Marsilea quadrifolia linn (Aquatic Fern). International Journal for Pharmaceutical Research Scholars (IJPRS), 3(2), 425-431.