Antioxidant and antimicrobial investigations of Elaeocarpus tectorius (Lour.) Poir. fruits against urinary tract infection pathogens

Plants are the natural honorarium used for primary health care and people rely upon herbal medications for the prevention and cure of numerous diseases that are caused by infectious pathogens. The extracts of Elaeocarpus tectorius fruits were successively prepared using five solvents (Petroleum ether, Dichloromethane, Ethyl acetate, Methanol and water) varying in their polarity ranges. The fruits of E. tectorius were screened for phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides that are endowed for the free radical scavenging activity. Fruit extracts showed significant amount of phenolics in ethyl acetate extract (302.33 +/- 46.06 mg GAE/ g extract), tannins in methanol extract (60.53 +/- 2.66 mg GAE/ g extract) and flavonoids in water extract (239.30 +/- 9.79 mg RE/ g extract). Ethyl acetate extract was efficient showing maximum antioxidant activity with the lowest IC50 value in diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay (20 mu g/mL), ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay (3203.92 +/- 413.62 mM (Fe(II)E/ mg extract) and phosphomolybdenum assay (881.00 +/- 28.51 mg AAE/ g extract). Plants tend to express antimicrobial activity which are therefore twisting the use of harmful synthetic drugs and formulations in the recent years. In the antimicrobial evaluation the ethyl acetate extract was highly effective in Agar well diffusion assay followed by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal/ Fungicidal Concentration (MBC/ MFC) analysis against selective Urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans). Thus its more apparent that E. tectorius fruits show efficient activities and can be recommended as a herbal drug formulation for treating UTI.