Phytochemical Profiling and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Potential of Datura Stramonium and Lantana Camara Extracts against Selected Microbial Strains

Abstract

Emergence of new plant-based antimicrobial agents is an imminent demand to tackle the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Phytochemical and antimicrobial activity were performed on the leaf extracts of Datura stramonium and Lantana camara, while identification of the bioactive molecules was done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The phytochemical screening of extracts showed the presence of major secondary plant metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, & terpenoids in both the plant extracts. The disc diffusion technique was used to assess the antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis) and a fungal pathogen (Aspergillus niger). The result showed that Lantana camara was moderately effective against all the tested bacteria and Datura Stramonium was moderately effective against bacteria but showed antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger. GC-MS results showed presence of various bioactive compounds in extracts of both plants. In particular, Lantana camara exhibited the presence of a significant peak of the 13-docosenamide (Z) compound while in Datura stramonium, the phytol compound and n-hexadecanoic acid and alkaloids were detected which are all known for their antimicrobial activity. This indicates that both plants have phytochemicals and might possess antibacterial activity, which makes them potential source of natural products. Important aspects for evaluating their therapeutic potential are isolation, mechanism of action and in vivo studies.