Publication: A case study of antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of methanol rhizome extract of Beta Vulgaris (Beet Roots)
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2021-09
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
The huge cost of medication and treatment of many chronic conditions that are caused by bacteria and the oxidative stress as a result of imbalance between the antioxidant and excess free radicals continue to be a major hindrance to better health for many people. Addition to the cost, the increased side effects and toxicity of modern medicine and reduced efficacy that has seen many bacteria strains gain resistance are some of demerits of the conventional drugs. The increased use of medicinal plants has been witnessed recently. The aim of this has been to be able to get alternatives that are potent and safer at the same time. Recent studies have weighed in and shown that vegetables and fruits play a great role in disease prevention. The health benefits of these products has been nailed at the many biologically active compounds synthesized by these plants. Beta vulgaris is a common vegetable in many countries and many pharmacological activities have been reported. Based on its beneficial claims from various sources, the baseline of this study aims to investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of methanol rhizome extracts of Beta vulgaris. Standard methods for antioxidant and antimicrobial assays were used and the extract was evaluated at different concentration. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging method while the antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the disc diffusion method. L-ascorbic acid and Ciprofloxacin was used as the standard antioxidant and antibiotic respectively. Three bacteria strains; Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used. The methanol rhizome extract showed antimicrobial activity against both the gram negative and gram positive bacteria. The extract inhibited more the positive bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus with zone of 14.5±0.5 mm followed by the gram negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli with zones of 12.0±1.0 and 11.0±0.00 mm respectively. Ciprofloxacin recorded the highest inhibition against E. coli with zone of 38.5±0.5 mm, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa with zone of 31.5±0.5 mm and Staphylococcus aureus had the least inhibition with zone of 30.0±0.0 mm. The antioxidant activity of the methanol rhizome extract recorded percentage radical scavenging activity of 88.983±0.141, 72.310±3.299, 20.007±4.366, 6.040± .317, 4.713±1.431 and 3.269±0.385 %. The antioxidant activity was high at 100 ug/ml and 200 ug/ml concentration level. The antioxidant activity of the Beta vulgaris extract was however, lower than that of the standard at all concentration levels. In conclusion the present study revealed that Beta vulgaris is a potent antioxidant and antimicrobial agent
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Antioxidant, Health, Toxicity