ABSTRACT:
The plants Sphaeranthus indicus belonging to the family Asteraceae has long been used in ayurvedic system of medicine by the name "Gorakhmundi". The aerial parts are widely used as an anthelmintic, anti-bacterial, diuretics & anti- inflammatory agent in Indian system of medicine. Several compounds including flavonoids, lignans, polyphenols, alkaloids, were isolated from plant & some of them interact with most of the key enzymes. Sphaeranthus indicus occurs abundantly in cultivated paddy fields in the local Nagpur region. The survey of literature has revealed that the flavonoid rich fraction of the plant has not been investigated for the anti-microbial activity. S. indicus were collected from the local Nagpur region. It was identified by the Department of Botany; RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur, with the help of authentic herbarium species. In the present investigations the material was dried in shade and then coarsely powdered and was used for the extraction of total flavonoid fraction. The dried aerial part was defatted with the help of petroleum ether (60°-80") & the mare was used to isolate flavonoid rich fraction. The flavonoid rich fraction was evaluated qualitatively for the presence of flavonoid with the help of preliminary phytochemical test and Thin Layer Chromatography. The fraction was then evaluated for the anti- bacterial activity with the help of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and Fungi.