Bioactive Compounds from Punica granatum L. peel and leaf and their Antibacterial activity
*Sayema Anwer and **Naheed Ahmad
*Research Scholar and **Professor Department of Botany, Patna University, Ashok Rajpath Road, Patna-800005 (India) *anwersayema@gmail.comand naheed60@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids have received great attention due to their varied biological activities. These compounds are capable of balancing metabolic processes such as anti-oxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Humans have been using plant parts for its medicinal properties since thousands of years. Among these Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), a deciduous shrub, widely considered to be a functional product of great benefit in the human diet due to presence of bioactive compounds in it. The fruit peel comprises of about 40-50% of the total fruit weight and a rich source of several bioactive compounds. Pomegranate leaf is rich in phytochemicals and traditionally was used to treat diarrhoea, skin ulcers and traumatic injuries. Natural or synthetic compounds which check the growth of disease-causing microorganisms or kills it, known as antimicrobial compound. To combat antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial properties of traditional medicinal plants is being revisited. Pomegranate peel and leaf shows a wide spectrum of antimicrobial effects, which has an apparent inhibitory effect against bacteria, fungi and mould. The objective of this study was to investigate the total phenolic and flavonoid content of pomegranate peel and leaves and their antibacterial activity.