Quantitative phytochemical composition and antibacterial potential of Phyllanthus amarus Linn leaf extracts

Public health experts keep warning that bacteria are slipping out of reach of our last-line antibiotics. In that urgent context, researchers have turned another set of plant leaves, this time the small, unassuming Phyllanthus amarus Linn. This study explores the qualitative phytochemicals and antibiotic potential of P. amarus extract on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. Quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed higher concentrations of bioactive compounds—including alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, phenols, saponins, and terpenoids—in the ethanolic extract. Antibacterial assays using disc diffusion showed dose-dependent inhibition by both extracts, with ethanolic extracts exhibiting significantly higher antibacterial activity. At 210 mg/mL, ethanolic extracts achieved inhibition zones comparable to ciprofloxacin, especially against E. coli (33.26 mm) and S. typhi (31.4 mm). Aqueous extracts were less potent but still showed measurable activity at higher concentrations. These results highlight the therapeutic potential of P. amarus, particularly its ethanolic extract, as a natural antibacterial agent, with implications for developing phytopharmaceuticals to combat drug-resistant infections.