Abstract
Carduus schimperi Sch. Bip.ex A. Rich belongs to the Asteraceae family, a spiky, perennial herb with a thick tap root that lacks stem. Traditionally, the root of this plant is used for the treatment of diarrheal disease, hyperemesis, acute febrile illness, and wound. It is also used to stop excessive blooding during menstruation. The aim of this study was to estimate the phytochemical components and to investigate anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial activities of Carduus schimperi Sch. Bip.ex A. Rich root extracts. The preliminary phytochemical screening followed by quantitative estimation of bioactive phytochemicals revealed highest abundance of phenolic ( 116.744 ± 0.85 mgGAE/g) and flavonoid ( 62.745 ± 0.124 mgQE/g) constituents in methanol extracts attributed to the difference in the polarity and efficacy of solvents used in successive maceration. The DPPH radical scavenging and FRAP assays demonstrated that the methanol extract had the highest radical scavenging activity with IC50 = 244.291 ppm; EC50 =226.325 ppm respectively. Moreover, the methanol root extract elicited pronounced dose-dependent growth inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococci pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae with mean zone of inhibition ranging from 13.7 ± 0.435 to 20.2 ± 0.556 at 800 ppm which is in line with the highest constituents of secondary metabolites of methanol extracts. Generally, the present study provides ethnopharmacological evidences suggesting the medicinal importance of C. schimperi lending pharmacological support to the folkloric uses of the plant.
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