ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF FRUITS OF SOLANUM HIRTUM VAHL. FROM VENEZUELA

Abstract

Solanum hirtum (Solanaceae) has been used in traditional medicine to heal several illnesses, it’s worked as an antiseptic for sore throat and other diseases. The present study describes the phytochemical profiles, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties of S. hirtum fruits. The phytochemicals from the dried fruits were extracted using a maceration technique with methanol and the flash column chromatography with n-hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol was the selected means to fraction the extract. The phytochemical screening was implemented using standard chemical tests. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities were screened using the disc diffusion method, and analyzing the radical scavenging activity using 2,2´-diphenyl-1- picryhydrazyl (DPPH), respectively, whilst the total phenolic content was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The phytochemical analysis results revealed the presence of terpenoids, steroids, phenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Antibacterial activity results showed the dichloromethane fraction exhibited activity against S. aureus (7.0 mm) and K. pneumoniae (9.0 mm) and methanolic fraction against P. aeruginosa (7.0 mm), S. aureus (8.0 mm) and K. pneumoniae (9.0 mm). In the DPPH scavenging assay, the IC50 value of the extract was 268.66±0.01 μg/mL. S. hirtum showed dose-dependent DPPH radicals scavenging activity. The total phenolic content (in gallic acid equivalents, GAE) was 18.54±0.30 mg GAE/g and the flavonoids content (in quercetin equivalents, QE) was 5.14±0.10 mg QE/g. Solanum genus is enriched with a diverse class of chemical compounds based on the literature survey and in our study, the resulting bioactivities are basically due to a mixture of phytochemicals possessed in the extracts or may be due to the synergistic activity of various constituents held by this plant species