Evaluation of antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects of Clausena suffruticosa ethanolic root extract.

ABSTRACT

Clausena suffruticosa (Family Rutaceae) root ethanolic extract was subjected to analyze for its antioxidant effect by DPPH free radical scavenging method, antibacterial & antifungal effect by disc diffusion technique and cytotoxic effect by brine shrimp lethality test. The extract showed very significant antioxidant activity with the LC50 value of 3.28μg/ml. In antibacterial screening, moderate zone of inhibition (7.5-9.0mm in diameter) was observed against gram positive Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus aureus, Bacillus polymyxa & Bacillus megaterium and promising zone of inhibition (10.0-13.0mm in diameter) against gram negative Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri,, Proteus sp. & Escherichia coli. Klebsiella sp. and Shigella sonnei did not show sensitivity. The MIC values against these bacteria were ranged from 3,000 to 4,500μg/ml. Root extract showed significant zone of inhibition against Aspergillus ustus, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus ochraceus in antifungal assay. In the cytotoxicity assay, LD50 and Chi-square value of the ethanolic extract against brine shrimp nauplii were 546.94μg/ml and 1.9932 demonstrating potent cytotoxic effect of the extract.