ABSTRACT

The research focused on conducting phytochemical screening and assessing the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Fossombronia indica Steph. The objectives were to identify bioactive compounds,compare their antioxidant capabilities with a standard antioxidant and evaluate their antimicrobial potential using various extracts against selected organisms. The study involved the use of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous as solvents to extract the phytochemicals and subject the fractions antioxidant andantimicrobialanalysis. The assessment of antioxidant properties included the2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, Ferric ion Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), and the determination of Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), all compared to ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant.The Agar well diffusion assay was utilized for testing the antimicrobial activity of six bacteria;Aeromonas hydrophylla, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as two fungi; Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.Statistical analysis involves the use of descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).In the phytochemical screening, the investigation of bioactive compounds revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, and phenols. The results of the DPPH, FRAP and TAC assays indicated that F. indica showed significant antioxidant activity. Among them, the n-hexane fraction displayed the highest activity (28.9%)of DPPH at a concentration of 1000µg/ml. The ethyl acetate fraction of F. indicahas the highest value of FRAP (11.12) at a concentration of 1000µg/ml while the ethyl acetate fraction of F. indica exhibited the highest TAC activity, with a value of 2.834,at a concentration of 1000µg/ml. The antimicrobial results showed that the ethyl acetate fractions of F. indica at three different concentrations exhibited antibacterial high activity against all tested bacteria, with the exceptions of E. coli and S. aureus. The methanol fractions displayed antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria except A. hydrophila. Among them, the ethyl acetate fraction was particularly effective against P. aeruginosa and A. hydrophila. The methanol fractions inhibited the growth of all tested organisms except for E. coli. In the case of antifungal activity, C. albicans proved to be sensitive to all fractions of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous fractions of F. indica. Overall, the study indicated that Fossombronia indica is rich in phytochemicals, possesses significant antioxidant and can inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Hence, can be recommended for the production of  drugs.

Keywords:  Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Bioactive Compound, Bryophytes, Phytochemical