Phytochemicals, Anti-microbial and Anti-oxidant Investigations on Cassia fistula Fruit Pulp Extracts

Plants are used as medicinal substances in many cultures and operate as a valuable reservoir for several powerful drugs owing to the existence of specific bioactive components. The process of discovering novel medications starts with the discovery of bioactive compounds derived from natural sources. Cassia fistula (Cf), also known as Konrai, is a natural plant belonging to the Caesalpiniaceae family. It is a significant tropical fruit and is renowned for its therapeutic characteristics. The current research aims to assess the phytochemical composition of the Cf fruit pulp by analysis of its aqueous and chloroform extracts. Additionally, the study will investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of these extracts. The analysis indicates the presence of beneficial phytochemicals except Cardiac glycosides, Polyphenol, and Anthroquinone. In FT-IR analysis, the phytochemical profile of the chloroform extracts demonstrated the existence of important phytochemical functional groups. Around 30 substances were found in the GCMS of the extract. Likely, the DPPH assay of the fruit pulp extracts exhibits the highest concentration (750μg/ml) and good antioxidant activity. Further, the antimicrobial activity was evaluated against disease-causing stains Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli, A.niger and C. albicans. The extract exhibited strong antibacterial activity in the chloroform extract compared to the aqueous extract. The findings indicated that chloroform extracts exhibited significant antifungal activity against A.niger in comparison to C.albicans. The aforementioned investigation validates that the chloroform extracts of Cf fruit pulp contains a diverse range of phytochemicals and other active functional groups, which are used for different therapeutic applications.