Phytochemical properties and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Macaranga triloba (Thunb.) Müll.Arg. and Macaranga gigantea (Rchb.f. & Zoll.) Müll.Arg

Macaranga triloba (Thunb.) Müll.Arg. and Macaranga gigantea (Rchb.f. & Zoll.) Müll.Arg. are medicinal plants found in Peninsular Malaysia. However, there are limited scientific evidence to validate the medicinal properties of both species. This study is to identify the phytochemical materials and the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the leaves of M. triloba and M. gigantea. In this study, M. triloba and M. gigantea specimends were collected at Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve. Identification of the species was made through morphological characteristcs and DNA identification. Phytochemical screening of the leaf extracts of M. triloba and M. gigantea using methanol and hexane was conducted. Antimicrobial activities were determined using the agar disk-diffusion and well-diffusion methods while antioxidant activities were determined using the DPPH assay. For phytochemical screening, flavanoids, alkaloids and terpenoids were found in both species. Antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis was detected in the methanol extract of M. gigantea while against Staphylococcus aureus was detected in the hexane extract of M. triloba. Comparing to the ascorbic acid as positive control, hexane extract of both species showed 2 times higher antioxidant activities than the methanol extract. The presence of phytochemicals and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in M. triloba and M. gigantea indicated the potential medicinal properties of both species.

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