A Study On Phytochemical Screening And Evaluation Of Pharmacological Activities Of Couroupita Guianensis Aubl. (Cannon Ball Tree)

Abstract

Several herbs have been used historically in Ayurvedic medicine to treat a wide range of illnesses. Moreover, multi-purpose medicinal plants have continued to elicit research interest and commercial attention globally as natural resources considered rich in nutritional and pharmacological properties to treat and cure several diseases. Therefore, we aimed to screen for the presence of phytochemicals in Couroupita guianensis and to evaluate its pharmacological activities. Different parts of C. guianensis were subjected to solvent extraction by maceration with various solvents such as water, ethanol, methanol and acetone. The pharmacological activities viz. antibacterial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activities of selected C. guianensis extracts were evaluated invitro. The methanolic fruit pulp extract of C. guianensis yielded maximum extract (27.1%) followed by aqueous (aq.) fruit pulp extract of C. guianensis (26%), and ethanolic fruit pulp extract of C. guianensis (19.4%). The aq. bud extract of C. guianensis was selected for further evaluation of pharmacological activities because it contains a greater number of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, glycosides, phenolic compounds and tannins. Similarly, the methanolic fruit pulp extract of C. guianensis was selected for further pharmacological activities evaluation because it contains a greater number of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, phytosterols, phenolic compounds, anthraquinone, terpenoids and tannins. Both the extracts exhibited inhibitory activity against all the test bacterium viz. S. aureus, Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp. and E. coli but with a varied zone of inhibition. The aq. bud extract of C. guianensis showed higher FRAP (1.17 ± 0.02), when compared to methanolic fruit pulp extract of C. guianensis (0.49 ± 0.02). The aq. bud extract of C. guianensis showed highest alpha-amylase inhibition percentage (72.88 ± 0.0) at 9mg/0.5ml as compared to methanolic fruit pulp extract of C. guianensis (56.55 ± 1.16). In conclusion, C. guianensis appears to be a promising resource for bioactive agents, which can be exploited for the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress and dreadful diseases.