Plants are the main sources of secondary metabolites and its extracts were used in Traditional medicinal systems for curing various ailments. Among the plant resources, Pteridophytes were underutilized medicinal plants that possess high value of bioactive compounds. In the present study, Phytochemical evaluation and antimicrobial potential of aerial part of Christella parasitica (L.) H. Lév. belonging to the family Thelypteridaceae was carried out. The powdered plant materials were subjected to successive solvent extractions and to evaluate their potential antimicrobial efficacy against human pathogens. The detection of phytocompounds in powdered samples was examined under normal and UV light ranges at 265 nm and 365 nm. Different fluorescence characters were indicates the presence of potential phytcompounds in the selected plant. Further, the extracts were tested against different human pathogens like Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium and two fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Candida albicans. The results revealed that petroleum ether extract at 50mg /ml concentration was inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus at the maximum of 14.4 ± 1.3 mm zone of inhibition. Therefore, the studies explored that petroleum ether extract of C. parasitica have more potential biological activities.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Christella parasitica, ethyl acetate, phytochemical and Pteridophytes