Phytochemical Analysis, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation of Datura stramonium L. Leaf Extract Against Selected Human Pathogens

Abstract

The alarming rise in newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, coupled with the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance underscores the urgent need to explore novel therapeutic agents derived from medicinal plants. The recent study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial, antioxidant activity and phytochemical constituents of Datura stramonium L. leaf extracts. The plant samples were collected, and leaves were dried in the shade and powdered. The powdered leaves were then macerated using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol succeessively. Phytochemical screening was carried out using the standard procedures. The antimicrobial activity was carried out using paperdisc diffusion while antioxidant activtes were determined using DPPH assay all tests were triplicates and datas were analyzed using SPSS v23. The extraction process yielded 1.34, 1.75 and 7.51 percentage yield for pet. ether, ethyl actetate and methanol extrcats respectively. The phytochemical analysis revealed that ethyl acetate extract was positive for all tested phytochemicals while steroild were missing in the methanol extract and flavonoids and phenols were absent from the petroleum extract. The GC-MS analysis leads to the identification of 25 compounds of which (2S,3S)-2-Methyl-3-(2-methyl-allyl) cyclopentanone, 2H-Pyran-2-one, 5,6-dihydro-6-pentyl-, 2-Hexenal and (3E)-3-Hexen-1-ol account for 60% of the total composition. The antioxidant activity reveld that the essential oil has the highest antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 3.34 followed by the ethyl acetate and methanol extract with an IC50 value of 6.17 and 10.25 respectively. In the antimicrobial activity all extractes showed dose dependent activites. the pet. ether extract showed the highest activity on S. aureus (24.0±0.0) while the lowest activity was observed on E. faecium (19.0±0.0) at 200 mg/ml while the second highest activity was observed from the ethyl actate extract against P. aeruginosa with and inhibition value of 22.5±0.5 in mm. while the highest minimum inhibitory and bactericidal activity was observed form the essential oil with an MIC and MBC values of 3.125 and 6.25 repectively aginest S. aureus and E. faecium. Generally this study tried to demonistrate the medicinal potential of leaves of D. stramonium through the different activities that were cerried out and the results reported although further activities were recommended to assess the full potential of the plant.