SPECTROSCOPIC SIGNATURE, ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTICANCER PROPERTIES OF CALOTROPIS GIGANTEA (LINN.) FLOWER

Calotropis gigantea L. flowers were widely used as a natural herbal medication. The objective of the present study was to screen the phytoconstituents and to evaluate the antibacterial and anti-cancer properties of Calotropis gigantea flower extract. The UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopic techniques were employed to screen the phytochemicals. The antibacterial property of the extract was evaluated through serial broth dilution technique. Cell viability was performed using MTT assay on HeLa cell lines. The presence of Phenolic compounds was confirmed by UV-Vis peak at 271nm. IR spectrum confirms the presence of alcohol/phenols, primary amines, aldehydes, alkanes, alkenes, sulfoxide and halogen compounds. The extract showed antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis (75µg/ml) and Klebsiella pneumonia (2µg/ml). The aqueous ethanolic extract of Calotropis gigantea flower exhibited less activity on HeLa cancer cell viability even at higher concentrations (1000µg/ml). The application of spectroscopic techniques promises to be of a great value in screening phytoconstituents of the extract because of their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. The extract is capable of inhibiting the bacterial growth and may possibly be functional for fortifying of potential antimicrobial compounds. The study provides preliminary scientific evidence for further research in purifying the compounds from aqueous ethanolic extract and to screen their efficacy