Abstract

This study was subjected to investigate antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Eclipta alba extracts (methanol, hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts). The antioxidant property of the extract was assessed by 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. Kirby-Bauer method was used to determine the antibacterial activity against Enterobacter cloacae of the extracts. The extracts of Eclipta alba were tested against E. cloacae. The highest antibacterial potentiality was exhibited by the ethyl acetate extract of E. alba leaves, means of zones of bacterial growth inhibition are 26.3 mm at a concentration of 32 μg/mL. DPPH free radical scavenging effect of the extracts was compared with standard antioxidant vitamin C. The highest antioxidant activity was exhibited by the ethyl acetate extract of E. alba leaves. The result also showed that the DPPH scavenging activity of ethyl acetate extract from leaves of E. alba was high (EC50 = 419.38 μg/mL). However, this result was 18.99 times lower than that of vitamin C (EC50 = 22.08 μg/mL).