RP-HPLC ANALYSIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL SCREENING OF CLAUSENA EXCAVATA BURM. F. (RUTACEAE)
Clausena excavata Burm. F.(Rutaceae) has long been associated with medicinal benefits in folk medicine, particularly in the treatment of cancer and its related disorders in the eastern region of Thailand. The present study evaluates the antimicrobial and antifungal activity of petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and ethanol and aqueous extracts of C. excavate against various microorganisms. In addition to that analytical reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the crude methanolic leaf extracts of C. excavata was carried out in order to qualitatively assess the number of constituents present in each fraction. Separation was achieved by using ACE-5-C18 (250 x 4.6 mm) with a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min, with the UV detection at 254 nm. The tests were made using Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pyogens and dermatophytes; Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Epidermatophyton floccusum and Candida albicans by using an agar incorporation technique. The antifungal activity (MIC values) of methanolic extract of C.excavata against against T.rubrum and T. mentagrophytes was found to be 62.5 µg/ml and 31.2 µg/ml. The crude extracts showed no significant activity against S. aureus and S. pyogens when compared with that of the standard drugs (ciprofloxacin and gentamycin, <3.91 µg/ml). The antifungal activity of the methanolic leaf extract of C. excavata was comparable with the standard drug, thus confirming that it might be a good source of antifungal. Following the extensive chromatographic separation techniques major components from the methanolic leaf extract of C.excavata were separated and chemically to be confirmed by spectroscopic methods.