Evaluation of phytochemical, antioxidant, anthelmintic and antimicrobial properties of Crataeva nurvala Buch. Ham. leaves

The aim of this study was to determine principle phytochemical classes and total phenolic contents and to investigate antioxidant, anthelmintic and antimicrobial activities of ethanolic extract of Crataeva nurvala leaves. Standard test methodology suitable for each chemical class was followed to screen out major chemical classes preliminarily. The total phenolic content of ethanolic leaf extract was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric assay. DPPH free radical scavenging assay and total reducing power test were carried out to investigate the antioxidant capacity. The conventional earthworm method and the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test were also performed to assess anthelmintic and antimicrobial activities of the extracts, respectively. Phytochemical screening of the ethanolic leaf extract showed the presence of significant amount of flavonoids and steroids along with other phyto-constituents in minor amount. Folin-Ciocalteu assay showed that 45.53 mg gallic acid equivalent was present per gram of the dried extract of the leaf. Leaf extract exhibited noticeable antioxidant activity in both of the DPPH free radical scavenging assay and the total reducing power test where ascorbic acid and BHT were used as standard compounds, respectively. The earthworm test demonstrated an excellent anthelmintic activity of the leaf extract like albendazole, especially at the high dose (1.0%). The disc diffusion assay did not show any antimicrobial activity of the leaf extract against different microbes. This study provides the evidence that the ethanolic extract of Crataeva nurvala leaf can be a potential source of natural antioxidant and anthelmintic molecules.