Screening for in vitro Antifungal activity and qualitative phytochemical analysis of
the fruit extract of Capparis zeylanica

Shathyaa Kathirkamanathan; Tharmarajah Manoranjan; Arulanantham C.
Thavaranjit; Jeyaratnam P. Jeyadevan

Abstract

Screening for in vitro Antifungal activity and qualitative phytochemical analysis of the fruit extract of Capparis zeylanica

Author(s): Shathyaa Kathirkamanathan, Tharmarajah Manoranjan, Arulanantham C. Thavaranjit and Jeyaratnam P. Jeyadevan

Capparia zeylanica is native to Sri Lanka and it was reported to possess antioxidant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immunostimulant activity. Present study was carried out to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of sequentially extracted different solvent extracts of fruits of Capparis zeylanica against plant pathogenic fungi such as Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp., Trichoderma spp., Penicillium spp. and Fusarium spp. by the standard agar well diffusion method. Synthetic fungicide Dithane M-45(mancozeb) and solvents used for extraction as standard and controls respectively. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of crude extracts was also carried out for the presence of biomolecules using standard procedures. Results indicated that the C.zeylanica fruit extracts exhibited antifugal activity against all tested fungi at least in one solvent. Three solvent extracts of C.zeylanica fruit showed antifungal activity against all fungi. But the hexane fruit extract failed to inhibit the growth of Penicillium spp. only. Effect of ethylacetate fruit extract against, Aspergillus spp.(25,16 mm), Penicillium spp.(20,16 mm) was significant than compared to the effect of hexane , ethylacetate extracts as well as mancozeb after 48 and 72 hours of incubation period. Growth of Trichoderma spp.(16,13 mm) and Alternaria spp.(16,14 mm) was significantly inhibited by methanol fruit extract than compared to other fruit extracts. This effect was also significant when compared to the standard mancozeb after 48 and 72 hours of incubation periods. But the Fusarium spp.(16,15 mm) was significantly inhibited by the hexane fruit extract, though the standard exhibited the highest inhibition against Fusarium spp. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of different types of phytochemicals in sequentially extracted hexane, ethylacetate and methanol extracts. Tannins, saponins, phlobatanins and steroids were present in all three solvents extracts. But flavanoids were present only in hexane extract. Trepenoids, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides were absent in all three extracts. This study put a flat form for further developmental studies on isolation and characterization of bio active compounds which exhibit antifungal activity.

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