Phytochemical screening, antibacterial and antioxidant activity studies on the crude root extract of Clematis hirsuta

Abstract Clematis hirsuta in the family of Ranunculaceae is geographically dispersed in highland areas including Ethiopia. The leaves and roots of Clematis hirsuta is traditionally used to treat various diseases in different regions of Ethiopia. This study is aimed to evaluate the phytochemical constituents, antibacterial and antioxidant activity studies on the crude root extracts of Clematis hirsuta. The air-dried plant sample was powdered, extracted successively with n-hexane, chloroform and methanol. The solid matter was separated by filtration and then filtrates were concentrated using a rotary evaporator. The dried extract was subjected to a preliminary phytochemical screening test using standard procedures and the result showed the presence of alkaloid, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides and carbohydrates. Antibacterial activity of the crude extract was determined by using the disc diffusion method. The methanol extract of the roots of Clematis hirsuta showed a significant inhibition zone on all of the selected bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella thyphi) while chloroform extract had inhibition on Pseudomonasaeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The methanol crude extract was screened for antioxidant activity by the DPPH assay method. At 2 mg/mL methanol crude extract gave %DPPH inhibition of 98.2% as compared to reference ascorbic acid (95.8%) at the same concentration. This study showed that the roots of Clematis hirsuta constitute phytochemicals that possess antibacterial and antioxidant activities and can serve as a potential source in search of plant-based antibiotics and natural antioxidants.