Qualitative Phytochemical Screening of Medicinal Plants and Their Prospectus as Natural Therapeutics in Aquaculture
Abstract
In the present study, three medicinally significant plant species, viz., Artemisia absinthium, Matricaria chamomilla, and Thymus vulgaris, were selected for qualitative screening of phytochemicals, and crude extracts of the plants were used to evaluate their antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The aerial parts of the species were sequentially extracted with ethyl acetate and reconstituted with 70% ethanol; qualitative analysis was planned for detection of the presence of major phytochemicals. Disk diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of all the three extracts at different concentrations. Phytochemical screening results indicated the presence of different secondary metabolites, viz., alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, and terpenoids. Disk diffusion assay results indicated that Thymus vulgaris showed high-level antibacterial activity even at low concentrations, with increasing inhibition zones of 8.95 mm at 0.1 mg/ml to 22.65 mm at 100 mg/ml; Matricaria chamomilla showed the highest inhibition zone of 35.80 mm at 100 mg/ml, showing high efficacy at high concentration, while Artemisia absinthium showed moderate activity, with inhibition zones of 0.90 mm at 0.1 mg/ml to 8.90 mm at 100 mg/ml. The results indicate that all three plant extracts contain potential secondary metabolites that could be used as preventive agents in the diet of fish to inhibit bacterial infection.
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Introduction
India's aquaculture production in 2022 was 10.23 million tonnes (FAO, 2024), while total fish production in Jammu and Kashmir for 2023–2024 was 28,000 tonnes (FAO, 2024). India's aquaculture, including Jammu and Kashmir, is still facing repeated problems due to disease outbreaks caused by bacteria, fungi, and parasites, leading to high fish mortality and heavy economic losses (Kalaria et al., 2024). The indiscriminate use of conventional chemical and antibiotic control methods, though initially successful, has led to grave issues like the development of antibiotic-resistant disease-causing agents, contamination of the environment, and accumulation of toxic residues in fish, toxic to the aquatic ecosystem as well as human consumption (Kalaria et al., 2024). Additionally, the use of chemicals and antimicrobial agents has been associated with a number of other issues, including bioaccumulation, contamination of water, and contamination of the surrounding natural ecosystems.
Compared to these synthetic chemicals, the use of phytochemical-rich plant extracts is promising alternatives for their use in aquaculture (Manzoor et al., 2025). These toxic effects have led to banning or restricting some chemical treatments in some areas and have triggered greater interest in safer and more sustainable alternatives, like plant therapeutics (Panigrahi & Azad, 2007). Studies are in progress on medicinal plants and plant extracts because of their high antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic activities as well as due to their ability to stimulate increasing the immunity of aquatic animals, thus becoming a potential alternative to manage disease in a sustainable way (Jeyavani et al., 2022; Semwal et al., 2023).
Conclusion
The phytochemical analysis of Artemisia absinthium, Thymus vulgaris, and Matricaria chamomilla revealed the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, glycosides, and phenols in their extracts. Different concentrations of all three plant extracts exhibited potent inhibitory activity, with varying inhibition zone diameters, against Staphylococcus aureus. The reconstituted ethanolic extracts of these plants showed a broad spectrum of activity. This study demonstrated that ethyl acetate extracts of Artemisia absinthium, Matricaria chamomilla, and Thymus vulgaris are rich in diverse phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other bioactive compounds, as confirmed by qualitative phytochemical screening. The integration of Artemisia absinthium, Matricaria chamomilla, and Thymus vulgaris as natural therapeutics in aquaculture presents a promising strategy to address the challenges of antibiotic resistance and disease management.
References
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