Preliminary Phytochemical and Antibacterial Studies of Convolvulus arvensis and Thymus capitatus Plants Extracts

Convolvulus arvensis and Thymus capitatus are the useful plants used in traditional system of medicines for the treatment of various diseases. The present study was conducted to examine preliminary phytochemical screening of aqueous and ethanlolic leaves extracts and antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of both plants. The qualitative phytochemical studies of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the plants leaves were carried out using standard testing procedures for metabolites viz. tannins, saponins, phlobatanins, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and alkaloids The aqueous extract of Convolvulus arvensis showed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides metabolites while the ethanolic extract exhibited the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and alkaloids metabolites. However, the aqueous extract of Thymus capitatus showed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids and terpenoids metabolites and the ethanolic extract exhibited the presence of tannins, saponins, phlobatanins, flavonoids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides metabolites. The antibacterial activity of ethanolic leaves extract of both plants was tested using Gram positive bacterial strains (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus) and Gram negative bacterial strains (Proteus vulgaris, Eschericia coli, Citrobactor freundii). In general, the extracts of both plants exhibited considerable activity on the bacterial species. Both plants extracts selectively inhibited the growth of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria with zones of inhibition ranging from 8 mm to 11 mm at concentrations of 50 mg/ml. It can be concluded that the activity showed by the ethanolic extract of the plants is as a result of the phytochemicals present in both plants and these plants seems to be good candidates for further phytochemicals studies in an attempt to find new chemical entities combating resistant bacteria.