Ž .Fitoterapia 72 2001 934�936

Short report

Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies onDrynaria quercifolia

N. Ramesha, M.B. Viswanathana,�, A. Saraswathy b,K. Balakrishnac, P. Brindhab, P.

Lakshmanaperumalsamy d

aSri Paramakalyani Centre for En�ironmental Sciences, Manonmaniam Sundaranar Uni�ersity,Alwarkurichi 627 412, Tamil Nadu, India

bCaptain Srini�asa Murti Drug Research Institute for Ayur�eda, Chennai 600 106, IndiacCentral Research Institute for Siddha, Chennai 600 106, India

dDepartment of En�ironmental Sciences, Bharathiar Uni�ersity, Coimbatore 641 046,Tamil Nadu, India

Received 10 May 2001; accepted in revised form 6 July 2001

Abstract

Friedelin, epifriedelinol, �-amyrin, �-sitosterol, �-sitosterol 3-�-D-glucopyranoside, andnaringin were isolated from the dried rhizome of Drynaria quercifolia. The methanol extractshowed broad and concentration-dependent antibacterial activity. � 2001 Elsevier ScienceB.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Drynaria quercifolia; Antimicrobial activity; Flavonoids; Sterols; Triterpenoids

Ž . Ž . � �Plant. Drynaria quercifolia L. J. Sm. Drynariaceae 1,2 , locally known as ‘Attu-kalkizhangu’ in Tamil language, rhizomes were collected in October 1999, fromTirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India. An authenticated voucher specimenŽ .M.B. Viswanathan and N. Ramesh 4124 has been deposited in the Herbarium ofSri Paramakalyani Centre for Environmental Sciences, Manonmaniam SundaranarUniversity, Alwarkurichi, Tamil Nadu, India.

� Corresponding author. Tel.: �91-46-3483270; fax: �91-46-3483270.Ž .E-mail address: vinaa@rediffmail.com M.B. Viswanathan .

0367-326X�01�$ - see front matter � 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.Ž .PII: S 0 3 6 7 - 3 2 6 X 0 1 0 0 3 4 2 - 2

( )N. Ramesh et al. � Fitoterapia 72 2001 934�936 935

Table 1aPreliminary phytochemical screening of Drynaria quercifolia rhizome extracts

Test Hexane CHCl MeOH3

Alkaloids � � �

Coumarins � � �Flavones � � �Lignans � � �Phenolics � � �Proteins � � �Saponins � � �Starch � � �Steroids � � �Sugars � � �Tannins � � �Triterpenes � � �

a � , present; �, absent.

Uses in traditional medicine. In the treatment of diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera,� �chronic jaundice, fever, headache, skin diseases and syphilis 3�7 .

Previously isolated constituents. No report.

Ž .New-isolated constituents. Friedelin yield: 0.15% on dried wt. , epifriedelinolŽ . Ž . Ž .0.1 , �-amyrin 0.09 and �-sitosterol 0.18 from hexane and CHCl combined3

Ž . Ž .extracts; �-sitosterol 3-�-D-glucopyranoside 0.24 and naringin 0.09 from MeOHextract.

Tested material. Successive hexane, CHCl and MeOH Soxhlet extracts of shade-3Ž .dried rhizome yields: 4.32; 1.11; and 6.52%, respectively , submitted also to

� �preliminary phytochemical screening 8�10 .

� �Tested activity. Antimicrobial activity by the agar-well diffusion method 11 .

Used microorganisms. Listed in Table 2.

Ž . ŽResults. Reported in Table 1 phytochemical screening and Table 2 antimicrobial.activity of MeOH extract , CHCl and hexane extracts did not exhibit any inhibi-3

Ž .tion in the range of tested concentrations from 50 to 1.5625 mg�ml .

Conclusions. The MeOH extract of D. quercifolia rhizome showed concentration-Ž .dependent inhibitory activity against all tested bacteria Table 2 . Though no

activity was observed against fungi, these results may provide scientific support forsome uses of the plant in traditional medicine.

( )N. Ramesh et al. � Fitoterapia 72 2001 934�936936

Table 2aAntimicrobial activity of Drynaria quercifolia rhizome MeOH extract

bŽ .Microorganisms MeOH extract mg�ml Standard

50 25 12.5 6.25 3.125 1.5625

Ž .Aeromonas hydrophila 25 22 18 17 16 15 38 CeŽ .Chromobacterium �iolaceum 22 20 19 18 17 16 24 CeŽ .Escherichia coli 23 20 20 18 18 17 28 ChŽ .Klebsiella pneumoniae 22 22 18 17 17 16 32 NvŽ .Pseudomonas aeruginosa 29 25 20 18 16 16 26 CeŽ .Salmonella typhi 26 25 20 18 18 17 23 CeŽ .Vibrio cholerae 22 20 18 18 17 16 36 TrŽ .Vibrio parahaemolyticus 22 18 18 17 17 16 24 ErŽ .Bacillus subtilis 22 20 19 18 17 17 33 NvŽ .Staphylococcus aureus 20 20 18 18 17 17 31 Nv

Aspergillus fla�us � � � � � � ���

Aspergillus fumigatus � � � � � � ���

Aspergillus niger � � � � � � ���

Candida albicans � � � � � � ���

a Ž . Ž .Values mean of three replicates are: diameter of zone of inhibition mm ; �, no inhibition; ���,not tested.

b Ž . Ž . Ž .Ce, ceftriaxone 30 �g�disc ; Ch, chloramphenicol 30 �g�disc ; Er, erythromycin 15 �g�disc ;Ž . Ž .Nv, novobiocin 30 �g�disc ; Tr, trimethoprim 5 �g�disc .

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank the Director, Central Council for Research inAyurveda and Siddha, New Delhi, for providing experimental facilities and Mr S.Chellaiah, a Paliyan medical practitioner, for providing information on traditionaluses.

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