Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant Properties, Anti-nutrient Contents and Antimicrobial Study of Aqueous Extract of Morinda lucinda, Solanum erianthun, and Dryopteris expansa

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms poses a significant challenge in clinical practice by complicating treatment options for infections. Exploring natural products as alternative drugs presents a promising approach to addressing these issues. Medicinal plants, acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a preferred and safest source of various medicines, have gained considerable attention. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical constituents, antioxidant properties, anti-nutrient content, and antimicrobial activities of Morinda lucinda, Solanum erianthun, and Dryopteris expansa The phytochemical analysis indicates that while flavonoids, saponins, and reducing sugars are common across the studied plants, Morinda lucida and Dryopteris expansa exhibit higher levels of saponins and the present of alkaloids, suggesting potential unique medicinal properties. The antimicrobial study revealed that the aqueous leaf extract of Morinda lucida made Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus susceptible to its effects, while Dryopteris expansa made only Streptococcus pyogenes susceptible and the aqueous leaf extract of Solanum erianthum made the fungal species Penicillium chrysogenum susceptible to its action. All the studied plants demonstrated very strong antioxidant activity. The anti-nutrient analysis showed that Morinda lucida had the lowest cyanide content at 5.50 mg/100 g, while Solanum erianthum had the highest cyanide content at 6.89 mg/100 g. Dryopteris expansa exhibited the lowest levels of oxalates and phytates, with values of 0.28 mg and 0.20%, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that each of these plants possesses significant potential as antimicrobial agents and antioxidants, with low toxicity levels. Consequently, they hold promise for medicinal applications and drug development.