PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILING, CHROMATOGRAPHIC FINGERPRINTING AND IN VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL EVALUATION OF METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF WRIGHTIA TINCTORIA (ROXB.) R.BR.

Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R.Br. is a medicinal plant of the family Apocynaceae with a history of traditional use in India. The present study evaluated the leaves of W. tinctoria collected from Vazhani, Thrissur, Kerala, using phytochemical, chromatographic, antibacterial and spectroscopic approaches. Shade-dried leaves were powdered and extracted by continuous Soxhlet extraction with methanol. The extract was subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), silica-gel column chromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), followed by disc-diffusion testing against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible) spectroscopy were used for spectral profiling. Qualitative screening detected deoxy sugars, triterpenoids, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, glycosides, lkaloids, flavonoids, amino acids and steroids, whereas proteins were not detected. Column chromatography yielded seven fractions. HPTLC comparison showed bands with Rf values comparable to rutin, gallic acid, ursolic acid, isatin, β-sitosterol, quercetin and an indole-alkaloid/indigotine-associated reference. Disc-diffusion testing produced inhibition zones of 8–30 mm under the reported test conditions. FTIR showed characteristic bands at 3329, 2925, 2854, 1720, 1653, 1617 and 1045 cm−1, while UV-visible analysis showed an absorption maximum at 664 nm. The findings provide a preliminary phytochemical and chromatographic profile of W. tinctoria leaves and support further standardized chemical characterization and antimicrobial investigation.