Analysis of the Phytochemical and Antibacterial Properties of the Indigenous Mizo Medicinal Plant, Helicia Excelsa.

Background: Helicia excelsa (Roxb.) Bl. is a scarcely known medicinal plant and is native to Southeast Asia. It is most notably used for the treatment of gastric problems in the Mizo traditional medicine in India. Method: The leaves of H. excelsa were collected from Aizawl, Mizoram, India. An extract was prepared using chloroform. Qualitative phytochemical tests were performed to detect the important phytocompounds. The antioxidant activity was determined by total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total antioxidant content, DPPH- and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar well-diffusion method. Results: H. excelsa leaf contains amino acids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, phenols, phytosterols, proteins, and tannins. It showed inhibition in selected Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The phenol, flavonoid and total antioxidant contents were 4.52±0.09 gallic acid equivalent (GAE mg/g), 64.27±1.04 quercetin equivalent (QE mg/g), 11.39±0.45 ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE mg/g) respectively. IC50 value of DPPH-scavenging activity was 5.67±0.36. The ferric ion-reducing power showed concentration-dependent activity. The plant extract showed growth-inhibitory actions against Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, and Gram-positive species, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: H. excelsa leaf contains important bioactive compounds that need to be identified. The antioxidant and antibacterial activities support the basis of its medicinal application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]