Phytochemical Profiling and Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Leucas aspera Leaf Extract
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Abstract
The current study assesses the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Leucas aspera leaf extract and looks into its phytochemical makeup. To separate the bioactive components, plant material was extracted sequentially using solvents of increasing polarity. The existence of important secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and saponins, was confirmed by preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening. A substantial abundance of polyphenolic compounds was indicated by the methanolic extract's greatest total phenolic content (142.6 ± 4.1 mg gallic acid equivalents per gram), according to quantitative estimation. Using the DPPH radical scavenging experiment, antioxidant activity showed a concentration-dependent impact with an IC²₀ value of 42.8 µg/mL, indicating great potential for scavenging free radicals. The disc diffusion method was used to assess the extract's antibacterial activity, and it demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus and other tested microbiological strains. These results support Leucas aspera's traditional medicinal use and demonstrate its potential as a promising natural source of bioactive chemicals with important antibacterial and antioxidant qualities. To separate and describe the active ingredients for possible medicinal uses, more research is advised.
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