Biological and chemical characterization of Acalypha wilkesiana leaf extracts

Abstract

According to African folklore, Acalypha wikesiana is known to possess medicinal properties. A study was conducted to evaluate the presence of chemical compounds and biological properties in the non-polar and crude extracts of Acalypha wikesiana. To obtain the crude extract, the air-dried pulverized leaf of the plant was extracted with 95% ethanol and hexane. Some microbial strains associated with dermophytic diseases, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, Epidermatophyton Sp, Trichophyton rubrum and Candida tropicalis were inhibited by the crude ethanol extract. No activities were observed against Methylene-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum canis, Aspergillus fumigates, and Candida albicans. In the DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the crude ethanol extract exhibited acceptable robust antioxidant activity between 0.1 and 0.9 mg/mL concentration. In the following GC-MS analysis, yellow oil was obtained from the crude extract by column chromatography, which revealed the presence of some compounds, mostly terpenoids and fatty acid esters. Medicinal properties of Acalypha wikesiana leaf extracts may be attributed to these compounds.