Investigating The Chemical Composition And Antibacterial Activity Of An Aquatic Plant, Nymphaea Alba L.

ABSTRACT

Dried leaves of nymphaea alba were extracted with absolute ethanol. Partitioning of the crude extracts between chloroform and water (1:1), petroleum ether and aqeous methanol (1:1), yielded fractions that gave negative results to antibacterial susceptibility tests. The bacterial organisms tested with the extracts were slap /iyiococcus aureus, Kiebsielia pneumonia, pseudomonas, cleroginosa, proteus mirabilis and Escherichia co/i. Phytochemical screening of the leaves of nyniphaea aba revealed the presence of alkaloids 2.23± 0.05%; tannins 0.05± 0.00%; phenols 0.07± 0.00%; saponins 7.04 ± 0.02%, flavonoids, 0.52 ± 0.02%. the results of vitamin screening on nymphaea aiba leaves shows ascorbic acid 37.53 ± 1.30mg! bOg; riboflavin 0.40 ± 0.01 mg/bOg; thiamin 1.01 ± 0.06mg/lOOg; niacin 2.02 ± 0.08mg/lOOg and 13 — carotene 4.02 ± 0.02 mg/100g.The secondary metabolite isolated from leaves of nyniphaca aibci was characterized spectroscopically by employing infra- red spectroscopy; state-of-the art tool of ID and 2D NMR techniques; spanning 'H, 3C, 'H- 'H COSY, 'H- '3C COSY and Chemical Ionization mass spectroscopy. Results from the combined spectral analysis gave a strong evidence for a steroidal moiety.