Firew Deribew, Milkyas Endale and Yadessa Melaku
Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae) is a perennial cosmopolitan species traditionally used for blood clotting and healing of wound. The powdered leaves were successively extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol to give 1.55, 2.16, and 8.2%, yield, respectively. Silica gel column chromatography afforded one phenylpropanoid derivative named verbascoside. The structure of the compound was determined using spectroscopic methods (UVVis, IR, NMR). The extracts, and verbascoside were evaluated invitro for antibacterial activities by using the disc diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumania and Proteus miabilis. The promising inhibition zone (20 mm) was observed by verbascoside against S. aureus compared to standard Ciprofloxacin (23 mm). The radical scavenging activity of the methanol and ethyl acetate extract, and verbascoside compounds were 64.2%, 79.2 and 83.9, respectively suggesting that verbascoside displayed powerful radical scavenging activity indicating the potential of the plant as herbal remedies.