Antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq.: a traditionally used medicinal plant in Bangladesh

Abstract Background In an attempt to explore the scientific basis for the pharmacological benefits the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Ipomoea mauritiana whole plant methanol extract were assessed. Methods The total phenolic and flavonoid content were determined using standard method while antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging activity method. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by disk diffusion method and compared with standard kanamycin (30 μg/disc). Results The results revealed that I. mauritiana extract contains tannin, saponin, terpenoids, alkaloid and flavonoids. In DPPH, ascorbic acid and extract showed highest scavenging activity and it was 90.96% at concentration 800 μg/mL and I. mauritiana methanol extract showed 72.28% at a concentration of 800 μg/mL. The extract was able to reduce the stable free radical DPPH with an IC50 of 275.084 μg/mL while that of ascorbic acid was 230.09 μg/mL. Total phenolic constituent of the extract was 59.302 ± 3.289 mg/g as gallic acid equivalent. The flavonoid content of methanolic extract of I. mauritiana was 27.212 mg of QE/g. In case of antimicrobial screening, crude extracts of I. mauritiana showed notable antibacterial activity against tested microorganisms. The extract and standard showed the highest mean zone of inhibition ranging from 13 to 19 mm and 37 to 42 mm, respectively at a concentration of 400 μg /disc and against the gram positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus-19.25 mm) showed highest zone of inhibition. Conclusions The results indicate that I. mauritiana possesses considerable antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.