Assessment of Iris albicans lange as potential antimicrobial and analgesic agent

Objective of the present work was to evaluate the presence of phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities (antimicrobial and anti-nociceptive) of crude extract isolated from Iris albicans and its corresponding fractions. Extraction was made with methanol and extract was evaluated for the presence of different bioactive constituents, as per standard protocols. Extract and its corresponding fractions were evaluated for their antimicrobial and anti-nociceptive potential. Well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial effects while anti-nociceptive effect was studied using in-vivo models (acetic acid induced writhing, hotplate and tail immersion tests) at different dose level (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of body weight) and compared with diclofenac sodium (dose = 10 mg/kg body weight). Results showed that the I. albicans extracts contained secondary metabolites including alkaloids, phytosterols, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, tannins, phenols, steroids, fixed oil, glycosides and carbohydrates. Furthermore, it was observed that different fractions in decreasing polarity order such as chloroform >n-Hexane > Ethyl acetate > Crude Methanol > Aqueous extract exhibited effective antimicrobial response against all test organisms. Results of the study showed that the extracts have significant antimicrobial and analgesic activity, providing evidence for its folklore use.