Evaluation of some biological activities of different solvent extracted samples of Oat (Avena Sativa)

Plants serve as biological factories of numerous compounds with diverse biological activities. Role of the plants in curing various diseases or infections can be attributed to the presence of such biologically active compounds. The present study focused on the phytochemical screening along with the evaluation of the antimicrobial and phytotoxic potential of Avena sativa in various solvent extracts. Ethyl acetate, n-hexane and n-butanol fractions, crude methanolic and aqueous extracts were assessed for their antibacterial potential by disc diffusion method, presence of phytochemical compounds by chemical tests and phytotoxic activity against radish seed. The qualitative phytochemical analyses showed that aqueous and methanol plant extracts had higher concentration of tannins and terpenoids content compared to other solvent extracts. The antimicrobial activity of different extracts against Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans revealed 15.17mm, 14.40mm, 14.08mm and 14.43mm zone of inhibition respectively. Furthermore, increase in concentrations of Avena sativa extracts and their fractions showed increase in their antimicrobial activity against the tested microbes. The n-butanol fraction reported 17.63mm and 16.42mm zone of inhibition against Candida albicans and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. For allelopathic activity of crude extract, plant extract negatively affected radish seeds sprouting by showing 83% to 100% inhibition at 100 to 1000 mu l/ml concentrations. The Avena sativa seed extracts possess biologically active compounds and showed great potential as antimicrobial and phytotoxic agent and therefore may be evaluated for other potential biological activities and applications.