POTENTIAL ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF AQUEOUS, ETHANOL AND METHANOL EXTRACTS OF TECTARIA MACRODONTA C. CHR

Tectaria macrodonta C. Chr. locally known as Kaali negro in Sikkim is a rhizome and spore-bearing terrestrial fern, traditionally used in folk medicine. In the present study, the aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts of the rhizomes of Tectaria macrodonta C. Chr were evaluated for its potential antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The phytochemical analyses of different solvent extracts were done. Antibacterial activity was determined by the agar well diffusion method against some gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the plant extracts against the test bacteria were determined using the broth dilution method. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay, ferric reducing power assay (FRAP) and hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenging assay. Potential antibacterial and antioxidant activity were exhibited by the methanol and ethanol extracts of Tectaria macrodonta. The methanol extract was subjected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The results of the present study suggest the potential pharmaceutical importance of Tectaria macrodonta C. Chr. concerning its antibacterial and antioxidant properties.