Abstract

The therapeutic potential of age-old Indian herbal remedies needs immediate scientific validation against urogenital problems. This study investigates the antibacterial efficacy of the methanolic extract of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. stem through multiple diffusion techniques and the zones of inhibition (ZOIs) are expressed in millimeters. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is found to be 1.25 mg/mL against Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 2.5 mg/mL against Proteus vulgaris, and 0.625 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. The MIC for Ciprofloxacin as a control is noted to be 0.062 µg/mL against E. faecalis, P. vulgaris, and S. aureus, and 1.25 µg/mL against E. coli and P. aeruginosa. C. reflexa extract exhibited substantial antibacterial activity against all tested strains, along with significant antibiotic-modulating activities specifically against E. coli and E. faecalis. The extract's ability to scavenge free radicals through the DPPH assay is indicated by an IC50 value of 212.61 µg/mL, with ascorbic acid as a control. The presence of phenols, tannins, glycosides, coumarin, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, and terpenoids is confirmed by qualitative tests. The total phenol and flavonoid contents are determined to be 22.54 ± 0.4 mg/g of Gallic acid equivalent and 113 ± 2.88 mg/g of Rutin equivalent, respectively. The vulnerating effect of C. reflexa extract on uropathogens secures its usefulness in pharmaceuticals

Key words: Cuscuta reflexa extract, antibacterial and antioxidant activities, phytochemical study, uropathogens.