Abstract

Objective: To study the antibacterial and antimutagenic properties of the Peltophorum ferrugineum flower extracts. Methods: Dried flowers of P. ferrugineum were extracted successively with hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol, and the total phenolic content of extracts were determined spectrophotometrically at 760 nm after reaction with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The extracts were tested against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Yersinia enterocolitica by agar dilution method. The antimutagenicity of extracts was studied using the tester strains of Salmonella typhimurium by the standard plate incorporation test. The effect of extracts on nucleic acid leakage (spectrophotometrically at 260 nm), bacterial respiration (total dissolved oxygen) and bacterial cell wall (Scanning Electron Microscopy) were also determined. Results: The total phenolic content of extracts was in the order of methanol > acetone > hexane > ethyl acetate. All the extracts showed antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.1 to 1.25%. However, higher activity was found with acetone and methanol extracts. The acetone and methanol extracts showed strong antimutagenic activity against sodium azide and methyl methane sulfonate induced mutation in Salmonella tester strains. The antibacterial action of extracts was probably due to the ability of these extracts to cause the disintegration of cell wall, leakage of genetic material and inhibition of respiration. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the acetone and methanol extracts of P. ferrugineum possess antibacterial and antimutagenic activities, and can find application as food preservatives and nutraceuticals.

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