Journal of International Research in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

This study was carried out in order to perform phytochemical screening, estimate total phenolics, flavonoids and also to evaluate antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity of different extracts of Capparis spinosa fruit. The dried powdered fruit of C. spinosa was extracted exhaustively by soxhlet with methanol. The chemical compounds present in the C. spinosa fruit were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total phenolic content of the extracts was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and spectrophotometric method was used to measure the total flavonoid content of the extracts. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2­­-Diphenyl-1-pykryl­ Hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The effect of the extracts against 4 Gram positive and 3 Gram negative bacteria was tested by micro dilution method. The C. spinosa fruit extracts contained appreciable levels of total phenolic content (45.8- 185 mg GAE /g) and total flavonoid content (42.1-145 mg CE /g) and also exhibited good DPPH hydroxyl radical – scavenging activity, with IC₅₀ ranging from 21.25- 52.12μg/ml. Methanol extract was the most effective extract with the lowest MIC (2.5 mg/ml) against all gram positive bacteria. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of major classes of phytochemicals. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results revealed the presence of 33 phytoconstituents. The presence of some phytochemicals suggests that one of the chemical components of the extract such as glycosides, phenol, tannins and saponins can have a powerful antibacterial and antioxidant effect. This study scientifically validates the use of C. spinosa in traditional medicine plus the fact that this plant may serve as a source of drugs useful in some infections caused by bacteria and also as an antioxidant agent.