World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY AND ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL OF DIFFERENT ANATOMICAL PARTS OF CUCUMIS MELO L.

Dr. Divya Acharya*

ABSTRACT

Muskmelon is a widely consumed medicinally important fruit known for the presence of diverse bioactive compounds. The present study was designed to comparatively evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial potential of different anatomical parts of Cucumis melo L., including fruit, leaf, stem, seed and flower extracts. The extracts were analyzed for antioxidant activity using the DPPH radical scavenging assay, while antibacterial efficacy was determined against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using standard in vitro methods. The results demonstrated noticeable variation in bioactivity among the tested plant parts. Several extracts exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity, indicating the presence of natural antioxidant constituents such as phenolics and flavonoids. In addition, selected extracts showed considerable antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. The findings suggest that different anatomical parts of Cucumis melo possess promising bioactive properties and may serve as potential natural sources of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. Furthermore, phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of important secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids and steroids in varying concentrations across different plant parts. Among all extracts, flower and seed extracts exhibited comparatively higher biological activity, which may be attributed to their rich phytochemical composition. The study highlights the therapeutic importance of muskmelon and supports its potential utilization in the development of plant-based medicinal formulations. These findings also provide a scientific basis for further isolation and characterization of active compounds responsible for the observed pharmacological activities.

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