Altitudinal Variation of Anti-Human-Pathogenic-Bacterial Activity and Antioxidative Properties of Darjeeling Himalayan Marchantia polymorpha L.

Abstract:Bryophytes, phylogentically placed between alga and pteridophytes, lacks mechanical protection but protects itself form the pathogens and other detrimental factors of nature by the use of its secondary metabolites. Diverse pharmacological attributes viz. antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antioxidant etc. of the bryophytes has been reported mainly due to these secondary metabolites. Among the three groups’ viz. hepatics, hornwarts and mosses, hepatics have ethnomedicinal use to cure several pathogenic disease. In the present study, the antibacterial and antioxidative properties of Marchantia polymorpha has been tested. The samples were collected from five different altitudes of Darjeeling Himalayas and were subjected to extraction in 80 % methanol. The methanolic extract were then used to test the antibacterial efficacy against six ATCC strains which are potent human pathogens. Agar diffusion and microdilution assay revealed that the 80 % methanolic extract were most effective against Bacillus...