PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL ANALYSIS OF AQUEOUS AND METHANOL EXTRACTS OF EUPHOBIA HIRTA PLANT

This research work was carryout to determine the phytochemical and antimicrobial analysis of aqueous and methanol Extracts of Euphorbia hirta plant. The analysis of phytochemical and antimicrobial activities was carry out using standard procedure. Qualitative screening revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and steroids in both extracts, indicating the plant’s rich phytochemical profile. Quantitative analysis further showed that the methanol extract had higher concentrations of these compounds compared to the aqueous extract. Specifically, tannins were present at 19.17±0.2 mg/mL in methanol compared to 14.14±0.03 mg/mL in water. Alkaloids were found at 7.03±0.3 mg/mL in methanol versus 4.24±0.2 mg/mL in water. Flavonoid content was 9.99±0.3 mg/mL in methanol and 6.98±0.3 mg/mL in water. Saponins were the most abundant, with 33.17±0.2 mg/mL in methanol and 28.26±0.3 mg/mL in water. Steroids were present in lower amounts, with 0.074±0.2 mg/mL in methanol and 0.026±0.3 mg/mL in water. Antimicrobial testing revealed that the methanol extract showed stronger inhibition zones against Staphylococcus aureus (23±0.01 mm), Escherichia coli (26±0.02 mm), and Aspergillus flavus (26.33±0.01 mm) compared to the aqueous extract, which showed inhibition zones of 17.33±0.01 mm, 21±0.01 mm, and no significant activity against A. flavus, respectively. These results suggest that methanol is a more effective solvent for extracting the bioactive compounds responsible for the plant's antimicrobial properties. Despite this, the standard antibiotics Streptomycin and Ketoconazole were more potent, with inhibition zones of 27.33±0.03 mm and 34±0.01 mm, respectively, against the tested microorganisms. In conclusion, the findings confirm that Euphorbia hirta contains a range of phytochemicals with potential medicinal properties, and that methanol is a more effective solvent than water for extracting these compounds. Therefore thus plants is potential candidate to be used for the like of these ailments.