Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Rumex Confertus Willd

Abstract

The leaves and roots of Rumex confertus Willd were tested in vitro for antibacterial and fungal activity in the fractions of gasoline, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol. As a result, it was found that the leaves of the Rumex confertus Willd plant, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of the root part have antibacterial activity against fungi and gram-positive bacteria.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

The interest of natural drugs as adjunctive therapy for acute and chronic diseases has grown significantly in the recent years. Herbal remedies play an important role in modern medicine and it appears feasible that the compounds from herbs can be helpful in prevention or treatment of different diseases.

The name Rumex derived from the Latin word for dart, alluding to the shape of the leaves. It is the largest genus of family Polygonaceae [1]. This genus includes more than 250 species distributed worldwide. 16 species grow in Uzbekistan [2,3]. Since ancient times Rumex L. (dock) species have been well known for their use in traditional medicine, due  to  therapeutic  efficacy  and  various  biological activities [4]. The herb Rumex confertus Willd belongs to the family of Polygonaceae, which is widespread in North America, Europe, Russia and East Asia. Since ancient times, concoctions and tea from leaves and roots of this herb have been used to treat various intestinal inflammations [5,6]. Clinical trials of the use of Rumex confertus Willd rootstock against children's salmonellosis have been successful [7]. Similar therapeutic studies have been shown to be effective in treating acute intestinal infections (dysentery) and high blood pressure [8] and also used in veterinary for the treatment of diarrhea in animals [9]. In Europe, it is mainly used in medicine. Rumex confertus Willd (the seeds) [10]. Roots of Rumex confertus Willd is used for liver diseases, dysentery, pulmonary and uterine bleeding, as a laxative, for hemorrhoids and cracks in the anus, externally for burns, wounds, stomatitis, gingivitis, skin diseases [11]. In previous studies, Polish scientists studied the antibacterial and antifungal activity of an extract from the fruit of Rumex confertus Willd [12].

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS

A. Plant Material

The roots and leaves of  Rumex confertus Willd were collected from Botanic Garden, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on August 2020.

B. . Extraction

The roots and leaves of the herb Rumex confertus Willd were collected in August and dried at room temperature, in shade. The pounded herb roots and

 leaves were first subjected to extraction in chloroform, then three times in 70% acetone hydrous solution. The acetone extract was distilled under vacuum, the remaining water solution was subjected to extraction with ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate extracts were collected and were dehydrated by adding anhydrous salt Na2SO4. The dehydrated extract was filtered, its concentartion increased under vacuum, the total polyphenols were precipitated by adding pure hexane to the condensed extract. The created precipitate was washed, and filtered and the extracted total phenols of chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions constituted 3.4% of the herb dry weight.

III. RESULTS

A. Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity

The leaves and roots of Rumex confertus Willd were tested in vitro for antibacterial and antifungal activity in the fractions of gasoline, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol.

na- not active; nt – not tested

PS.Weak: Inhibition zones ≤ 6-8 mm;

Appreciable: 8-14 ??;

Pronounced: 14-20 ??;

Strong: ≤ 20 ?? 

Conclusion

The leaves and roots of Rumex confertus Willd were tested in vitro for antibacterial and antifungal activity in the fractions of gasoline, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol. As a result, it was found that the leaves of the Rumex confertus Willd plant, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of the root part have antibacterial activity against fungi and gram-positive bacteria.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2022 G. D. Shermatova, Zhang Ying-Jun, Khakhramon Davranov. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.