Possible antifungal and antibacterial constituents in inflorescence extract of Carthamus oxycantha

The objective of the present study was to identify possible antifungal and antibacterial compounds in methanolic extract of inflorescence of Carthamus oxycantha, a weed of family Asteraceae. Methanolic extract was obtained by soaking 5 g of dried and powdered inflorescence in 100 mL methanol for 14 days. Analysis of the methanolic leaf extract revealed the presence of 103 organic compounds. Most abundant compounds were Phosphoric acid, bis(trimethylsilyl)monomethyl ester (7.41%), D-Ribofuranose, 5-deoxy-5-(methylsulfinyl)-1,2,3-tris-O-(trimethylsilyl)- (7.19%), Benzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-, methyl ester (6.27%), 13-Retinoic acid, (Z)-, TMS derivative (5.18%), 9 -Octadecenoic acid, (E)-, TMS derivative (4.92%), Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (4.61%), and 5- Amino-8-hydroxyquinoline, N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)- (4.14%). Out of 103 compounds, 4 compounds were found having antibacterial and/or antifungal properties. These compounds were 9 - Octadecenoic acid, (E)-, TMS derivative (5); Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (6); 2,4-Thiazolidinedione (19); γ-Sitosterol (32); 4-Hydroxybutanoic acid, 2TMS derivative (40). This study concludes that methanolic inflorescence extract is a rich source of antimicrobial agents.