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Abstract

A great deal of interest in studying plants has been sparked by scientific research due to their natural compounds that have been employed for medicinal purposes. Silene indica, a perennial herb that belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family, is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. This research explored the phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial characteristics of S. indica var. indica to fully understand its wide range of therapeutic uses. The methanolic extract of S. indica var. indica was used for preliminary phytochemical investigation of reducing sugars, glycosides, proteins, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, alkaloids, tannins and phenols. Qualitative results revealed that S. indica var. indica contained significant primary (carbohydrate, proteins, essential oil, steroids) and secondary bioactive compounds (alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, and phenols) which validate its traditional medicinal uses. Moreover, the DPPH free radical scavenging assay was used to examine the antioxidant property, and the agar well diffusion method was used to investigate the antibacterial capability against Escherichia coli and Enterococci. Results of antioxidant bioassay showed that n-Hexane fraction exhibited the highest inhibition (71.24%), followed by the aqueous fraction (60.7%).Antibacterial research exposed distinct inhibition zones at concentration ranging from 300-500 µg /mL. The higher inhibition percentage (80.1% and 89.47%) against Enterococci and E. coli was recorded in MeOH fraction. These findings suggested that Silene indica var. indica has a promising source of natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents that supports its traditional use in treating various ailments. Advance research is needed to explore its mechanisms of action and potential clinical applications.

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