Abstract The present work was conducted aiming to evaluate the effect of different solvent
extracts on the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Annona squamosa L. leaves. Four solvents
were chosen for the study namely; methanol 80%, acetone 50%, ethanol 50% and boiling water.
Acetone and boiling water gave the highest extraction yields as compared to methanol and ethanol.
Total phenolic contents of the four extracts were significantly different with acetone being the most
efficient solvent and water being the least efficient one. Correlation coefficient between the total
antioxidant and total phenolic content was found to be R2 = 0.89 suggesting the contribution of
phenolic compounds of the extract by 89% to its total antioxidant activity. The extracts were capable
of scavenging H2O2 in a range of 43–54%. Reducing power of the extracts increased by increasing
their concentration. The extracts were found to exert low to moderate antibacterial activity
compared to a standard antibacterial agent. The bacterial inhibition of the extracts was found to
positively correlate with their phenolic contents.