Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

The threat posed by drug-resistant pathogens has resulted in the increasing momentum in research and development for effective alternative medications. The antioxidant and antifungal properties of phytochemical extracts makes them attractive alternative complementary medicines. Therefore, this study evaluated the phytochemical constituents of Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. (Cucurbitaceae) leaf extract and their antioxidant and antifungal activities.

To evaluate the antioxidant and antifungal activity of leaf of L. siceraria.

The leaf of L. siceraria was extracted with hydroalcohol. The extract was subjected to phytochemical evaluation. Antioxidant activity was assayed by the DPPH radical scavenging activity mechanism and the reducing power test. The reducing power assay of extract was carried out with ascorbic acid as a standard reducing agent. All the analysis was made with the use of UV-Visible spectrophotometer. However, in the antifungal activity, the extract was tested by agar well diffusion method by against fungi (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavius and Candida albicans). The leaf extract is compared with standard antifungal drug Amphotericin B.

Qualitative phytochemical analysis of hydroalcohol extract of L. siceraria leaf showed a majority of the compound including tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and sterol-terpenoids. The hydro-alcohol extracts showed moderate to potent antioxidant activity, among which the leaf extract demonstrated the strongest antioxidant activity with the IC50 value of 26.55 μg/mL. Hydroalcohol extract of leaf possessed antioxidant activity and compared with ascorbic acid and thus could be a potential source of natural antioxidant. In case of antifungal screening, crude-extract of L. siceraria leaf showed notable antifungal activity against tested microorganisms. The leaf extract showed the highest mean zone of inhibition ranging from 9.0–11.0 mm against tested microorganisms, at a concentration of 100 mg/mL.

The present finding suggests that the hydroalcohol leaf extract of L. siceraria having antifungal activity, and could be developed as pharmaceutical products.