EVALUATION OF PHYTOCHEMICAL AND IN VITRO ANTIINFLAMMATORY AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ACALYPHA INDICA (KUPPAIMENI OR HARITA MANJARI) AGAINST MICROBES CAUSING SKIN DISEASES

Abstract

Acalypha indica, also known as Indian Copperleaf,(Kuppaimeni) is a tropical medicinal plant found worldwide. The plant has long been used to treat a variety of ailments, including skin infections, inflammation, and fever.

According to recent research, Acalypha indica contains a variety of phytochemicals, which include flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids, which have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Given these properties, the plant could be utilized to treat pathogen-caused skin infections caused by bacteria and fungi. The dried leaves with methanolic extract was subjected to phytochemical analyses, antiinflammatory effect and antimicrobial effects

The antimicrobial assay revealed that the methanolic extract of Acalypha indica leaves was significantly effective against various microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. The extract was found to have a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. The extract was also found to have a moderate inhibitory effect on the growth of Aspergillus niger and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To study the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract, the denaturation method was used. The results showed that the extract was able to reduce inflammation in a dose-dependent manner. The extract was found to be more effective in reducing inflammation than the standard drug used in the study. In conclusion, the present study has revealed the phytochemical and antimicrobial properties of Acalypha indica leaves extract in two different solvent extractions like acetone and aqueous extract. The extract was found to contain a variety of phytochemicals, including tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, triterpenoids, antroquinone, steroids, polyphenols, glycosides, and coumarins. The extract also showed significant anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity. These findings suggest that Acalypha indica leaves extract may have potential therapeutic use in treating inflammatory conditions and microbial infections. Further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanism of action of this extract and to develop new drugs from this plant.