Phytochemical Constituents and Antimicrobial Activities of Ethanolic Extract of Luffa Cylindrica Seed

Abstract

Diseases and infections are two of the most notable health challenges that humans are facing today, these have led to different health impairments, death and other economic damages. To combat these menaces, seeds of Luffa cylindrica plant have been noted for their medicinal properties. L. cylindrica seed was collected in Ogbomoso. Exactly 500 g of leaf was soaked in 4000 mL of ethanol, agitated for 1 hour at room temperature (27℃) in ultrasonic sonicator. The extracts were then decanted, filtered and concentrated using Rotary Evaporator at 40 ℃. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometer were obtained on a Perkin Elmer Spectrum and Varian Cary ultraviolet-visible. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of various phyto-constituents which could be attributed to the presence of plant secondary metabolites. UV-VIS of the pure compounds showed a  maximum absorbance ranging from 242 to 424 nm which could be attributed to organic compounds such as R-OH, R-O-R, R₂C- CR2, R₂CO and RCOOR. The FT-IR spectra revealed the presence of hydroxyl, ester, and ketones with prominent peaks at 3378.15, 1731.04 and 1716.16 cm^-1 respectively. Antimicrobial analysis showed effectiveness against tested fungi and bacteria with diameters zones of inhibition ranging from 20± 1.0 mm to 30± 4.3 mm compared to Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) of antibiotics drug. The results of tested organisms are: Escherichia coli 26±4.3, Klebsiella pneumoniae 21±2.2, Staphylococcus aureus 20±1.0, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 25±2.9 and Candida albicans. 28±1.5.The results of in-vitro anti-inflammatory test showed that, L. Cylindrica had maximum inhibition of 89.6 % at 500 μg/ ml, as compared to Exupirin (Analgesic Drug) with maximum inhibitory concentration of 85.9 % as standard. This study concluded that the extracts of Luffa cylindrica seed contain bioactive compounds of high medicinal values and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, they can serve as potential candidates for the treatment of infections caused by fungi and bacteria used in this study.