ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY GUIDED PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS PROFILING OF PONGAMIA PINNATA SEED EXTRACT

The current study investigates the antimicrobial activity of different extracts and fractions of P. pinnata using a chemical profiling approach to identify bioactive compounds responsible for its antimicrobial potential. Various fractions (hexane, chloroform, butanol and methanolic) were prepared from the seeds of the plant and tested against two different bacterial strains Salmonella abony (gram positive) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (gram-negative). The antimicrobial activity was assessed using standard disc diffusion method to determine zone of inhibition. In parallel, chemical profiling of the active extract and fractions was conducted through chromatographic technique (HPLC) and spectroscopic analysis GC-MS/MS to identify bioactive constituents. The results revealed significant antimicrobial activity, with methanolic extract and hexane fraction from seeds exhibiting the strongest inhibition against S. abony, on the other hand it was found less potent against K. pneumonia. Several bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenolics were identified, suggesting their role in the antimicrobial activity. The in-silico ADMET and acute rat toxicity prediction suggested that the major bioactive compounds Pongamol and Lanceolatin B as the most effective drug-like and pharmacologically favorable candidates, whereas Rutin is least suitable due to poor pharmacokinetics and safety concerns.