Investigation of the preliminary compounds found in leaf extracts of Inula confertiflora and evaluation of their activities against antioxidant and in vitro antibacterial activities

Medicinal plants, from those traditionally utilized by healers in underdeveloped nations to those employed in the manufacturing of contemporary synthetic medications worldwide, are essential in the treatment of a wide range of illnesses. Ethiopians have long utilized the leaves of Inula confertiflora plants to treat diseases pertaining to the skin and eyes. This encouraged us to look at the yield of crudes extracted using various polar index solvents, look at the existence of precursor compounds in the plant's leaf sections, and evaluate the ability of preliminary compounds to scavenge free radicals from DPPH and their antibacterial properties against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains. Following the extraction processes of the plant soaking, filtering, and concentrating the crudes, the highest yield of crude was produced by ethanol in moderately polar solvents (3.64 gm), water with a higher polarity index (5.74 gm), and acetone in lower polar solvents (6.28 gm), which produced a relatively lower yield. The UV-Vis spectroscopic results of the ethanol extracts showed they contained a wide range of preliminary bioactive functional groups, like phenols and flavonoids, and their derivative compounds. Additionally, the ethanol extracts' inhibition zone was marginally higher than that of the water and acetone extracts', indicating that the preliminary compounds extracted in a higher polar solvent—water—and a moderate polar solvent—acetone—were obtained in the ethanol extracts. In conclusion, the presence of higher total content of the phenolic and flavonoids, higher radical scavenging efficiency in DPPH solution, and greater zone of inhibition in-vitro antibacterial activities displayed by the preliminary compounds extracted by ethanol and water extracted from the leaf of Inula confertiflora corroborate the traditional uses by the local people against various diseases.