Antimicrobial activities and phytochemicals of Murraya paniculata L. flowers, leaves and bark crude extracts

Aims: Murraya paniculata (L.) has been widely employed in medicine, has also been modified to serve as an ingredient in health foods and found application in cosmetics. This study was aimed to assess the biological activities of M. paniculata by analyzing the chemical compositions of its flowers, leaves and bark.Methodology and results: Crude extracts drawn from the flowers, leaves and bark of M. paniculata underwent testing to determine the antibacterial properties in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), as well as the overall chemical composition, total phenolic content, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. Crude extract of leaves exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity when tested against Staphylococcus aureus TISTR 1466, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. The crude extract from bark delivered the most significant antibacterial activity when tested against Micrococcus luteus TISTR 9341, Escherichia coli ATCC 1261, Pseudomonas sp., Streptococcus sp. and Methicilin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). For all crude extracts, the MIC value against M. luteus TISTR 9341 was 12.5 mg/mL. Meanwhile, the MBC value for the crude extract of leaves against B. subtilis ATCC 6633 was 12.5 mg/mL, whereas, for flower and bark crude extracts, the MBC value against S. aureus TISTR 1466 was 25 mg/mL. Antioxidant activity was at its highest for the crude extract from bark (IC50=1.36 mg/mL). The highest phenolic content was recorded for the crude extract from bark, while the highest flavonoid content came from the crude extract of leaves (70.81 +/- 0.31 mgGAE/g extract and 115.73 +/- 1.18 mgQE/g extract, respectively).Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The research findings suggest that the crude extracts of M. paniculata leaves and bark show greater significant levels of bioactivity than was the case for crude extracts from flowers. The research findings could help in exploring the possibilities of using M. paniculata for pharmaceutical purposes and in aquaculture.