IN-VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF ARALIA CORDATA AND KALOPANAX SEPTEMLOBUS

The present study is aimed to compare the in-vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Aralia cordata Thunberg and Kalopanax septemlobus (Thunb.) Koidzumi (Araliaceae). The antibacterial activity of the two plants was evaluated disc diffusion and minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) method against two Gram-positive bacteria and two Gram-negative bacteria. The tested ether and ethyl acetate fraction of ethanol extract from the two species showed weak antibacterial activity against the tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The ether fraction of the two species exhibited relatively higher antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria as compared to the ethyl acetate fraction. The 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging assay was applied for antioxidant activity. Results showed that the DPPH activity (IC₅₀) of ethanol extracts of the two species ranged from 0.05 ± 0.01 to 0.28 ± 0.07 mg/g and the corresponding values for the ABTS activity (IC₅₀) of ethanol extracts of two species ranged from 0.25 ± 0.01 to 1.80 ± 0.23mg/g. The antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts was higher than that of the hot water extracts, while the results of total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were not consistent exactly with the results of antioxidant activity. The results will be supported as a good information on the use of the two species in the food and pharmaceutical industries.