Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Activity of Catharanthus roseus: Comparative Efficacy of Leaf, Flower and Root Extracts Against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6i2.628Keywords:
Antimicrobial activity, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Roots of Catharanthus roseuAbstract
The rise in antibiotic-resistant pathogens has led to a search for new and effective natural antimicrobial agents. Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus), locally known as Kemunting Cina is one of the widely recognised herbs that have a great number of medicinal uses mostly attributed to the various disease. The leaves, flowers and roots of the C. roseus collected from Sungai Siput, Perak C. roseus were identified and then subjected to a cold maceration extraction method using ethanol. The resultant crude extracts were analysed for preliminary phytochemicals to identify bioactive compounds. The cup plate method assessed the antimicrobial activity with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Candida albicans (C. albicans) as representative bacterial and fungal pathogens, respectively. The results indicated high antimicrobial activity in the leaves, while the flowers and root extracts showed the lowest MIC values. The extraction yields were 12.3% for flowers, 16.25% for leaves, and 5.6% for roots. The antimicrobial properties of the 3 plant parts were then studied through cup plate method assay using concentrations of 200mg/ml, 100mg/ml, 50mg/ml, 25mg/ml, and 12.5mg/ml. The leaves showed the strongest antimicrobial activity, with inhibition zones of 12–14 mm against E. coli and 10 mm against C. albicans, demonstrating dose-dependent effects. These results were comparable to standard antibiotics such as Amoxycilin and Griseofulvin. The data supporting the potential use of C. roseus in developing plant-based antimicrobial agents.
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