| Abstrakt: |
Salvinia molesta D.S.Mitch, identified as a troublesome invasive aquatic plant in Malaysia and recognized as the world's most invasive alien species in the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) since 2013, underwent a comprehensive study to explore its phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential, and antibacterial properties. The leaves were meticulously extracted using both distilled water and ethanol, and subsequent quantification involved assessing phenolic, flavonoid, tannin, alkaloid, and saponin contents using standard methods. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated through DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The ethanol extract stood out with notably higher phytochemical content, particularly in tannin (275.98 ± 3.70 mg TAE/g), followed by phenolic, saponin, flavonoid, and alkaloids. Impressively, the ethanol extract exhibited substantial antioxidant capacity, as evidenced by IC50 values of 4.90 ± 0.25 µg/mL (DPPH), 15.22 ± 1.91 µg/mL (ABTS), and a FRAP value of 298.27 ± 4.04 mg TE/g. Moving beyond antioxidant properties, the ethanol extract showcased robust antibacterial activity, notably against Bacillus cereus, followed by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in disc-diffusion tests. Further analysis through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays underscored the ethanol extract's capacity to inhibit growth and effectively eliminate all tested bacterial strains. In summary, this research highlights the ethanol extract of Salvinia molesta as a promising source of phytochemicals with substantial antioxidant and antibacterial properties, surpassing the aqueous extract in efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
