toxic shock syndrome, and rapidly progressing deep-
tissue infections, such as necrotizing fasciitis.
(Johansson et al., 2010).
Although antibiotics have been clinically proven
to be useful in the treatment of bacterial skin
infections, they are largely subjected to limitations
such as antibiotic resistance and adverse effects. The
progressing failure of chemotherapeutics and
resistance to antibiotics has led to the screening of
several medicinal plants for their potential
antimicrobial activity (Oyewole and Kalejaiye,
2012). Unlike conventional medicines or treatments,
herbal treatments have several advantages in that
they are less expensive, more effective in certain
chronic conditions, has reduced occurrence of
adverse effects as well as widespread availability.
In this regard, one of the plant which is being
evaluated for its therapeutic efficacies is Ipomoea
aquatica (I. aquatica). In the ancient science of
Indian medicine and homeopathy, extracts of I.
aquatica leaves are administered orally to alleviate
antioxidant related disorders.
The plant is also used effectively against
nosebleed and high blood pressure. Furthermore, its
leaf extract can be used to reduce blood sugar levels
and as an antibiotic against Escherichia coli,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. The
floral buds are used as an anthelmintic (Prasad et al.,
2005).
Water spinach is a perennial herb found
throughout India, Sri Lanka, Tropical Asian
countries, Africa and Australia. It is grown as weed
in India and USA, while in Malaysia, China,
Singapore and Hong Kong, it is grown commercially
(Mbatchou and Dawda, 2012). It is also known with
its common name which is swamp morning glory or
‘kangkung’ in Malaysia. I. aquatica, a green leafy
vegetable which is a rich source of amino acids and
vitamins, has been explored for the isolation and
identification of its bioactive compounds that
provides many health benefits. The leaves of I.
aquatica contains 90% moisture, 4.3%
carbohydrates, 3% protein, 2% mineral matter, 0.9%
fibre, 0.4% fat, 0.6mg/100g of nicotinic acid,
120mg/100g of riboflavin, 137mg/100g of Vitamin
C and 11mg/100g of Vitamin E (Mbatchou and
Dawda, 2012).
Plants are potential sources of natural bioactive
compounds such as primary and secondary
metabolites. Flavonoids are one of the secondary
metabolites produced by plants and are present in
most plant tissues and often in vacuoles. The basic
structures of flavonoid molecules are composed of
three rings with various substitutions, including
glycosylation, hydrogenation, hydroxylation,
methylation and sulfation. Flavonoids are
hydroxylated phenolic substances known to be
synthetized by plants in response to microbial
infection and they have been found to act as
antimicrobial agents against a wide array of
microorganisms in vitro. Their activity is probably
due to their ability to complex with extracellular and
soluble protein and to complex with bacterial cell
wall (Yadav and Agarwala, 2011). The type of
flavonoids present in I. aquatica leaves are quercetin
3-methyl ether and quercetin 4-methyl ether.
Therefore, the aim of this research will focus on
evaluating the antibacterial activity of different
extracts of I. aquatica leaves against S. aureus and
S. pyogenes that causes skin infections.
2 METHODOLOGY
2.1 Preparation of Plant Extract using
Maceration Process
2kg of fresh leaves of I. aquatica obtained was first
weighed and washed thoroughly using running tap
water to remove all adhering foreign materials and
soil particles. The leaves were then dried under
shade and sun for seven days. The amount of dried
leaves was weighed again in order to calculate the
percentage of moisture content in the plant. The
weight obtained was 101.27g. After that, the dried
leaves were coarsely powdered using a mechanical
blender. The amount obtained was weighed and
equally separated into two portions. One part (50g)
was macerated with 95% ethanol and the other part
(50g) with 95% methanol.
Both was allowed to stand at room temperature
for 7 days with occasional shaking. The final
extracts obtained was clarified by filtration using
filter papers. The filtrates were then concentrated
under vacuum in a rotary evaporator in order to
remove the solvent and obtain a solid mass. The
solid mass of both methanolic and ethanolic extracts
was weighed and the percentage yield of the plant
obtained after extraction was calculated.
2.2 Phytochemical Screening of Leaf
Extracts
Both methanolic and ethanolic extracts of I.
aquatica leaves were evaluated for qualitative
determination of primary and secondary metabolites
by preliminary phytochemical screening respectively
BROMO 2018 - Bromo Conference, Symposium on Natural Products and Biodiversity
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