CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF Phyllanthus amarus (SCHUM & THONN)
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Date
2017-06-01
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Publisher
Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences
Abstract
The chemical composition of the leave extracts of Phyllanthus amarus (Schum and Thonn) of the
family Euphorbiaceae from Nigeria was analyzed by GC-MS. The extracts were also examined for
their potential to inhibit the growth of clinical isolates following standard procedure. The major
compounds identified in the hexane extract are a flavonoid, flavone 4’,5,7-triethoxy-3,3’,6-
trimethoxy (20.23%) and a triterpenoid 17-(1,5-Dimethylhexyl)-6-hydroxy-5-methylestr-9-en-3-yl
acetate (19.02%) while bufalin (18.71%) and tetratetracontane (12.91%) were the major
compounds detected in the methanol extract. Steroidal triterpenoids are the major compounds
present in the extracts as it accounted for 47% of the total detectable content in the hexane
extract and 52% in the methanol extract. The steroidal triterpenoids which exist primarily as
acetate in the hexane extract include cycloeucalenyl acetate, ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3-ol acetate,
macdougallin, 17-(1,5-Dimethylhexyl)-6-hydroxy-5-methylestr-9-en-3-yl acetate, stigmasterol and
β-sitosterol while the methanol extract contains 6,7-epoxypregn-4-ene-9,11,18-triol-3,20-dione,
11,18-diacetate, bufalin, olean-13(18)-ene, methyl ursolate, barringenol R1 and 7,8-
epoxylanostan-11-ol,3-acetoxy. Hexane extract of the plant exhibited antifungal activity on
Candida albicans while methanol extract revealed significant antibacterial activity on Pseudomonas
aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus at all concentrations of the extract between 12.5 and 100
mg/mL, the activity being comparable to the standard antibacterial drug, Oxacillin. The leaves of
Phyllanthus amarus is a potential source of steroidal triterpenoids which could serve as biomarker
for the plant species. The extracts of the plant may also serve as a natural source of antimicrobial
agents for the treatment of some microbial infections.
Description
Keywords
Phyllathus amarus, antimicrobial, phytochemicals, leaf extracts
Citation
Zubair et al., 2017