Abstract
The aim of current study was to investigate Ziziphus nummularia root for phytochemical composition as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. The preliminary phytochemical screening of Z. nummularia root extract revealed the presence of different types of secondary metabolites including glycosides, tannins, phenols, saponins, alkaloids, reducing sugars, phlobatanins, terpenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, steroids and cardiac glycosides. The crude extract and ethanol fractions exhibited moderate antibacterial effect at 22 mg/mL against streptomycin (STD) as a standard drug. n-hexane and chloroform fractions possessed promising antifungal activity, while the methanol crude extract and ethyl acetate fractions were least active. The crude extract and subsequent fractions were assessed for their antiradical activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH center dot) assay and showed promising antiradical potential while n-hexane and chloroform fractions were found to be less active. The current research work revealed that Z. nummularia root contain bioactive molecules, which possess promising antimicrobial and antioxidant effects.