Studies on bio activity and phytochemistry of leaves of common trees

Abstract

Plants are well  known for their medical  importance. Among the plant habits, trees  produce large biomass of leaves and are found to be wasted. In this study, the methanolic extracts of leaves of few trees were evaluated for their bactericidal, free radical scavenging ability and insecticidal activity. Further, their phytochemical constituents were studied. Leaves of Annona squamosa, Citrus limon, Delonix regia, Millingtonia hortensis and Thespesia populnea belonging to different families were selected. The crude extracts were studied for antibacterial efficacy through Micro broth dilution, free radical scavenging ability using DPPH, and their insecticidal activity by using the larvae of Artemia salina and insect pest of Sitophilus oryzae. Further, the aqueous extract of the leaves were screened for phytoconstituents. The phytochemical studies revealed that Saponins and Steroids are present in all 5 tree leaves. The plant, Milingtonia hortensis showed wider antibacterial spectrum. Citrus limon recorded better free radical scavenging activity followed by Annona squamosa and Thespesia populnea. Annona squamosa showed better insecticidal activity with both the larvae of Artemia salina and against the rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae.