Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of LaclucasalivaLeaf Extracts

Abstract

Abstract Background Lactuca sativa is a member of the Lacluca (lettuce) genus and the Asteraceae (sunflower or aster) family. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also used in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps generally grown as a hardy annual.It also shows to help in reducing blood cholesterol because it contains antioxidants, vitamins, salts, oils, protein, minerals, and strengthen the immune system and the treatment of depression and sadness. Objectives The aims of the present study are to identify secondary metabolic eompoundsand the effectiveness of lettuce plant extracts against pathogenic bacteria. Also, the study aims to identify the presence and component of alkali compounds, flavonoids, and saponins by chromatography and spectroscopy analysis. Materials & Methods This is a laboratory-based descriptive study. The extraction was performed by using soxhlet extractor with three solvents (petroleum ether, chloroform, and methanol). Standard protocol was used to identify the in vitro antimicrobial activity. The pure compounds were isolated and purified by thin-layer chromatography.The analysis was done by the technique of infra-red(IR) and ultraviolet (UV). Results For the total weight of the successive extraction of the Lettuce with different solvents, methanol gave the highest value of total weight in percentage yield (31.795%) followed by chloroform (2.l25%) and finally petroleum ether (2.02%). The survey showed the chemical to extract 80% ethanol fit on the secondary metabolic compounds,

presence of steroids and triterpenes, carotenoids, basic alkaloids, coumarins, 2-deoxy sugar and saponins.The results revealed that the crude extract gave saponins with the highest percentage (23.5%), followed by alkaloids (l8.12%), and finally flavonoids (17.1%). Regarding antimicrobial activity, results showed that chloroform and methanol extracts were active against bacteria, while the petroleum ether extract was inactive. Conclusion and Recommendations According to our findings, we conclude thatthe lettuce plant has good activity as medicine and food.We, therefore, recommend the need to pay attention to it as a source of food and drug and continue efforts to be planted and continue to search.