Preliminary study on the antimicrobial activity of Enicostemma littorale using different solvents

ObjectiveTo study the antimicrobial activity of Enicostemma littorale (E. littorale) using different solvents.MethodsChloroform, methanol and acetone extracts of different parts of E. littorale (leaf, stem and root) were evaluated for antimicrobial activity using disc diffusion method against some gram-negative species such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pnemoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and gram-positive species Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and two fugal species viz., Aspergillus fumigates and Aspergillus flavus.ResultsThe chloroform extracts showed the highest antibacterial activity. Among leaf, stem and root extracts, the stem extracts showed maximum antibacterial activity. All of the used extracts had no significant antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigates and Aspergillus flavus. The chloroform stem extract showed highest activity (about 20 mm inhibition zone) against Bacillus subtilis (at 500 mg/mL) followed by the methanolic stem extract which showed highest activity against the same organism. The lowest antibacterial activity was observed by the acetone leaf extract (about 8 mm inhibition zone) against Escherichia coli.ConclusionThe findings of the study indicate littorale could also be a new source for antibiotics discovery.     

Evaluation of extracts and essential oil from Callistemon viminalis leaves: Antibacterial and antioxidant activities,total phenolic and flavonoid contents

ObjectiveTo investigate antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Callistemon viminalis (C. viminalis) leaves.MethodsThe essential oil of C. viminalis leaves obtained by hydro-distillation was analyzed by GC/MS. Different extracts were tested for total phenolic and flavonoid contents and in vitro antioxidant (DPPH assay) and antibacterial (agar disc diffusion and 96-well micro-plates methods) actives.ResultsFourteen components were identified in the essential oil, representing 98.94% of the total oil. The major components were 1,8-cineole (64.53%) and α-pinene (9.69%). Leaf essential oil exhibited the highest antioxidant activity of (88.60±1.51)% comparable to gallic acid, a standard compound [(80.00±2.12)%]. Additionally, the biggest zone of inhibitions against the studied bacterial strains was observed by the essential oil when compared to the standard antibiotic (tetracycline). The crude methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction had a significant antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains.ConclusionsIt can be suggested that C. viminalis is a great potential source of antibacterial and antioxidant compounds useful for new antimicrobial drugs from the natural basis. The present study revealed that the essential oil as well as the methanol extracts and ethyl acetate fraction of C. viminalis leaves exhibited highly significant antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains.     

Antibacterial activity of crude ethanolic extract and solvent fractions of Ficus pseudopalma Blanco leaves

ObjectiveTo investigate the antimicrobial properties of Ficus pseudopalma (F. pseudopalma) leaf extracts.MethodsThe antibacterial properties of F. pseudopalma Blanco crude ethanolic leaf extract, and its solvent fractions chloroform (CF), ethylacetate (EF) and water fractions were evaluated through antibacterial agar disc diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. Five Gram-positive and five Gram-negative bacteria were used for the study.ResultsThe zone of inhibitions obtained from the antibacterial agar diffusion disc method showed that CF, and EF exhibited active (14-19 mm) antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis UST CMS 1011, and partially active (10-13 mm) antibacterial properties against both Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228. Water exhibited no antibacterial properties against all microorgranisms tested. The MIC values observed for all Gram-positive bacteria tested were >5 mg/mL, except for Bacillus subtilis whose MIC value was 5 mg/mL for CF and EF fractions. All extracts exhibited no antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria.ConclusionsFrom this study, it can be concluded that F. pseudopalma extracts may be a potential antibacterial agent against Gram-positive bacteria. The antibacterial property may be attributed to flavonoids and terpenoids present in the crude ethanolic extract, CF and EF.     

Antimicrobial activity of mangrove plant (Lumnitzera littorea)

ObjectiveTo investigate the antimicrobial activities of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the leaves of Lumnitzera littorea (L. littorea) against six human pathogenic microbes.MethodsThe antimicrobial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion and microdilution methods.ResultsThe antimicrobial activities of the crude extracts were increased with increasing the concentration. It is clear that n-hexane extract was the most effective extract. Additionally, Gram positive Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) appear to be the most sensitive strain while Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and the yeast strains (Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans)) appear to be resistance to the tested concentrations since no inhibition zone was observed. The inhibition of microbial growth at concentration as low as 0.04 mg/mL indicated the potent antimicrobial activity of L. littorea extracts.ConclusionsThe obtained results are considered sufficient for further study to isolate the compounds responsible for the activity and suggesting the possibility of finding potent antibacterial agents from L. littorea extracts.     

Antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Salacia chinensis Linn. against human pathogens

ObjectiveTo investigate antimicrobial effects of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Salacia chinensis (S. chinensis) Linn. against pathogenic bacteria and fungi.MethodsThe Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MTCC 96), Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) (MTCC 435), Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) (MTCC 121), Escherichia coli (E. coli) (MTCC 443), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) (MTCC 432), Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) (MTCC 1429), Salmonella paratyphi A (S. paratyphi A) (MTCC 735), Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) (MTCC 98), Shigella flexneri (S. flexneri) (MTCC 1457) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) (MTCC 424), Candida albicans (C. albicans) (MTCC 183) and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) (clinical isolate) were originally obtained from Microbial Type Culture Collection Centre, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India. Antimicrobial activity was carried out by disc diffusion and broth dilution methods against pathogens by using crude ethanolic and aqueous extracts.ResultsEthanolic extract of S. chinensis L. leaves showed significant antimicrobial activity against S. epidermidis (33.20 mm), C. albicans (30.40 mm) and C. neoformans (18.20 mm) mean values were documented. Aqueous extract of leaves showed significant inhibitory activity against C. neoformans (19.8 mm) and S. epidermidis (17.80 mm) were observed. Based on broth dilution method, the ethanolic extract of crude plant material showed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against S. epidermidis, C. neoformans (256 μg/mL) and C. albicans (512 μg/mL), whereas the aqueous extract of S. chinensis L. leaves showed significant inhibitory activity against S. epidermidis (512 μg/mL) and C. neoformans (1024 μg/mL) were observed.ConclusionsThe present result revealed that ethanolic extract of S. chinensis L. possesses significant antifungal activity when compared as the antibacterial activities.     

Antibacterial activity and characterization of secondary metabolites isolated from mangrove plant Avicennia officinalis

ObjectiveTo explore antibacterial activity and characterization of secondary metabolites isolated from mangrove plant Avicennia officinalis (A. officinalis).MethodsIn the present study the leaf extracts of A. officinalis were examined for its antibacterial potential using five different solvents against some reference strains of human pathogenic bacteria for the crude extract. Maximum activity was observed for ethyl acetate and hence different concentrations like 15 μL, 25 μL, and 50 μL of ethyl extracts was checked for its antibacterial activity. Partial purification of crude extract was carried by column chromatography and fractions were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify compounds.ResultsThe crude ethyl acetate extracts of A. officinalis showed remarkable antibacterial activity with zones of inhibition of 13 mm against Eschericia coli (E. coli) and 11 mm against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Fraction 13 (ethyl acetate÷methanol= 8÷2) as the most potent one against with the minimal inhibitory concentration of 30 mm against E. coli and 25 mm against S. aureus. The GCMS resultsof active column fraction (F13) revealed that the active principals were a mixture of hydroxy-4 methoxybenzoic acid, diethyl phthalate, oleic acid.ConclusionsThe leaf extracts with proven antibacterial effects can clearly be directed towards cancer treatment as to inhibiting cancer cell growth. The limited number of test organisms owes to a constraint of resource. So, the effect of strong bursts of leaf extracts on human pathogenic bacteria should further be tested on a wide range of test organisms.     

Antibacterial activities of some Indian traditional plant extracts

ObjectiveTo evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of various solvent extracts of South Indian traditional medicinal plants Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum gratissimum, Aegle marmelos, and Adhatoda vasica leaves against clinical pathogens of human origin.MethodsThe antimicrobial activity of different solvents crude extract of four medicinal plants used in traditional Indian medicine was tested by disc diffusion method against five bacterial pathogens: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi and klebsiella pneumoniae.. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined for evaluating the potential plant extract.ResultsThe antibacterial results showed methanol extracts (0.4 g/ml) of Ocimum gratissimum and Ocimum sanctum showed maximum zone of inhibition (30 mm and 25.5 mm, respectively) against Salmonella typhi. MIC was tested at various concentrations from 0.625 mg/ml to 0.039 mg/ml for all the plant extracts. At the lowest concentration (0.039mg/ml) tested, methanol extracts of Ocimum gratissimum showed higher MIC against Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi where as the methanolic extracts of Ocimum gratissimum showed potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus at 0.078 mg/ml. Methanol extract (0.4 g/ml) of Aegle marmelos showed significant inhibitory activity of 22.5mm and MIC value of 0.156.mg/ml against E. coli strain. The Klebsiella spp was the most resistant strain of all and various concentrations Adhatoda vasica extract showed less activity against the tested pathogens.ConclusionsThe present screening result demonstrated that the Indian traditional medicinal plants Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum gratissimum, Aegle marmelos methanol leaf extract has potent antibacterial activity and the studied plants may be new source for novel antibacterial compound discovery for treating drugs resistant human pathogens.     

Total antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potency of the essential oil and oleoresin of Zingiber officinale Roscoe

ObjectiveTo compare in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil and oleoresin of Zingiber officinale Roscoe.MethodsThe antioxidant activity was evaluated based on the ability of the ginger extracts to scavenge ABTS^°+ free radical. The antimicrobial activity was studied by the disc diffusion method and minimal inhibitory concentration was determined by using the agar incorporation method.ResultsGinger extracts exerted significant antioxidant activity and dose-depend effect. In general, oleoresin showed higher antioxidant activity [IC₅₀=(1.820±0.034) mg/mL] when compared to the essential oil [IC₅₀=(110.14±8.44) mg/mL]. In terms of antimicrobial activity, ginger compounds were more effective against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, and less effective against Bacillus cereus. Aspergillus niger was least, whereas, Penicillium spp. was higher sensitive to the ginger extracts; minimal inhibitory concentrations of the oleoresin and essential oil were 2 mg/mL and 869.2 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the studied extracts showed an important antifungal activity against Candida albicans.ConclusionsThe study confirms the wide application of ginger oleoresin and essential oil in the treatment of many bacterial and fungal diseases.     

Comparative study of total phenolics,flavonoids contents and evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of different polarities fruits crude extracts of Datura metel L.

ObjectiveTo determine the total phenolics and flavonoids and to evaluate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of different extracts from fruits of Datura metel (D. metel).MethodsDifferent crude extracts from the fruits of D. metel were subjected to determination of total phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities by established methods.ResutlsThe total phenolics results showed that ethyl acetate extract was the most efficient (60.26%) compared to hexane, chloroform, butanol and methanol extracts which had phenolic contents of 50.08, 35.50, 52.54 and 26.49%, respectively. Almost similar results were obtained from the fruits crude extracts for total flavonoids and results found that methanol crude extract was the highest (1.71%) compared to other crude extracts. The antioxidant activity results showed that methanol extract acted the highest activity compared to other extracts and in the order of methanol>ethyl acetate>hexane>chloroform>butanol extract. All extracts were displayed moderate antibacterial potential against the tested bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonus aeruginosa in the range of 0%–10%.ConclusionsThe results of this present study clearly showed that the crude extracts of D. metel demenstrated antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and it may act as potential antioxidant sources for human biological system.     

Composition of the non-polar extracts and antimicrobial activity of Chorisia insignis HBK. leaves

ObjectiveTo investigate the chemical constituents of the petroleum ether extract and the ether fraction of the 70% ethanol extract of Chorisia insignis HBK. leaves, as well as screen its antimicrobial activity.MethodsDifferent chromatographic methods were applied to investigate the non-polar extracts and the diffusion assay method was applied to study the antimicrobial activity.ResultsA total of 50 compounds from the unsaponifiable matter and 20 fatty acid methyl esters were identified from the petroleum ether extract by GC/MS analysis. n-Hentriacontane, n-tritriacontane, stigmastanol, 3-methoxy-5, 6-dihydrostigmasterol, 7,8-dihydroergosterol, 4-methylcholesterol, cholestanol, multiflorenol, cholest-5-en-3-one, cholest-6-one, 5,6-dihydroergosterol, stigmasterol, dihydroalbigenin and 11-methyl-Δ^{5,7,9,15,17,23}-triacont-hex-ene were isolated from the petroleum ether extract. Methyl heptacosanoate and quinic acid ester of rhamnose were isolated from the ether fraction of the 70% ethanol extract. Antimicrobial activity of the total alcohol extract and the successive fractions showed that the ether and the ethyl acetate fractions have potent antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus.ConclusionsThe ether and the ethyl acetate fractions could be used in pharmaceutical formulations as antibacterial agents against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus, and further clinical trials should be performed in order to support the above investigations.     

Effect of henna and roselle extracts on pathogenic bacteria

ObjectiveTo investigate the antibacterial effects of water and ethanolic extracts of henna leaves and roselle calyxes against pathogenic bacteria isolated from domestic wastewater.MethodsThe antimicrobial activity was determined in the extracts using agar disc diffusion method. The antibacterial activities of extracts (2.5%, 5.0% and 10.0% w/v) of both henna and roselle were tested against one Gram-positive Bacillius subtilis; two Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa human pathogenic bacteria.ResultsEthanolic extracts had more antimicrobial activity than water extracts. Ethanolic extract of roselle had the highest antibacterial activity against all tested organisms, followed with ethanolic extract of henna. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most sensitive bacteria to plant extracts.ConclusionThe results of this study suggested that roselle contains more phyto-chemicals with antimicrobial activity than henna on the bacteria strains under study, and these phyto-chemicals were more effective when extracted by ethanol rather than water.     

Preliminary phytochemical analysis, antibacterial, antifungal and anticandidal activities of successive extracts of Crossandra infundibuliformis

ObjectiveTo investigate the phytochemical, antibacterial, antifungal and anticandidal activity of successive extracts of Crossandra infundibuliformis (Acanthaceae) leaves.MethodsPreliminary screening on the presence of alkaloids, saponins, phytosterols, phenolic compounds, flavanoids, tannins, carbohydrates, terpenoids, oils and fats were carried out by phytochemical analysis. The antibacterial, antifungal and anticandidal activities were done by agar well diffusion technique.ResultsThe successive extracts have an array of chemical constituents and the MIC values of antibacterial activity ranges from 0.007 8 to 0.015 0 μg/mL. In case of antifungal and anticandidal activities the MIC values were between 0.125 and 0.250 μg/mL.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that the leaf extracts of C. infundibuliformis presents excellent antimicrobial activities and thus have great potential as a source for natural health care products.     

Phytochemical analysis and in vitro antimicrobial activity of Illicium griffithii Hook. f. & Thoms extracts

ObjectiveTo evaluate the antimicrobial activity of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of seeds and fruits of Illicium griffithii (I. griffithii)(Family: Schisandraceae).MethodsThe antimicrobial activity of the organic extracts were determined using disc diffusion assay against Gram-positive bacterial strains (three reference cultures and three clinical isolates), Gram-negative bacterial strains (nine reference cultures and six clinical isolates), and six fungi. The primary phytochemical and chemical compositions were analyzed using qualitative chemical analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry respectively.ResultsEthyl acetate extract of fruits was effective against most of the tested reference cultures such as Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella paratyphi, Enterococcus feacalis, Xanthomonas oryzae and Pseudomonas aerugenosa, whereas methanol extract showed activity only against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Xanthomonas oryzae. The hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of fruits were more effective against most of the clinical isolates, whereas methanol extract was effective only against Klebsiella pneumoniae ESBL. The extracts of fruits and seeds did not show any significant antifungal activity against tested fungi. The presence of phenols, tannins, flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, saponis and carbohydrates in the different extracts was established. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry studies on hexane and ethyl acetate extract of fruits resulted in the identification of 31 and 39 compounds respectively.ConclusionsPotent antibacterial phytochemicals are present in ethyl acetate extract of I. griffithii fruits. Further studies are needed to investigate activities of I. griffithii against multidrug resistant bacteria.     

Anti-enteric bacterial activity and phytochemical analysis of the seed kernel extract of Mangifera indica Linnaeus against Shigella dysenteriae (Shiga, corrig.) Castellani and Chalmers

ObjectiveTo evaluate the phytochemical and anti-bacterial efficacy of the seed kernel extract of Mangifera indica (M. indica) against the enteropathogen, Shigella dysenteriae (S. dysenteriae), isolated from the diarrhoeal stool specimens.MethodsThe preliminary phytochemical screening was performed by the standard methods as described by Harborne. Cold extraction method was employed to extract the bioactive compounds from mango seed kernel. Disc diffusion method was adopted to screen antibacterial activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was evaluated by agar dilution method. The crude extracts were partially purified by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and the fractions were analyzed by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) to identify the bioactive compounds.ResultsPhytochemical scrutiny of M. indica indicated the presence of phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, gums, flavanoids, phenols, saponins, steroids, tannins and xanthoproteins. Antibacterial activity was observed in two crude extracts and various fractions viz. hexane, benzene, chloroform, methanol and water. MIC of methanol fraction was found to be (95±11.8) μg/mL. MIC of other fractions ranged from 130–380 μg/mL.ConclusionsThe present study confirmed that each crude extracts and fractions of M. indica have significant antimicrobial activity against the isolated pathogen S. dysenteriae. The antibacterial activity may be due to the phytochemical constituents of the mango seed kernel. The phytochemical tannin could be the reason for its antibacterial activity.     

Antimicrobial constituents from three endophytic fungi

ObjectiveTo evaluate the antimicrobial potential of extracts of the endophytic fungi Plectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and Crataegus monogyna (C. monogyna) and study the tentative identification of their active constituents.MethodsCrude extracts and isolated compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity using the agar well diffusion method. Four compounds were purified from three endophytic fungi using column chromatography and their structures have been assigned based on their ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra.ResultsPlectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and C. monogyna extracts showed promising antifungal, antibacterial and herbicidal properties. (-)-Mycorrhizin A was isolated from Plectophomella sp. while cytochalasins E and K were isolated from Physalospora sp. Similarly radicinin was purified from the endophytic fungus C. monogyna. The ethyl acetate extract of Plectophomella sp. showed significant antifungal activity towards Ustilago violacea (U. violacea) and Eurotium repens (E. repens) and significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus megaterium. Interestingly, the ethyl acetate extracts of Physalospora sp. and C. monogyna showed strong herbicidal and antifungal activities towards Chlorella fusca, U. violacea, E. repens, Mycotypha microspora (M. microspora), Fusarium oxysporum, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus megaterium. (-)-Mycorrhizin A showed significant antifungal activity towards U. violacea and E. repens. Cytochalasins E and K showed strong antifungal activity against E. repens and M. microspora especially towards fungal Mycotypha microspora. Similarly cytochalasins E and K showed good herbicidal activity towards Chlorella fusca. Radicinin showed strong antifungal activity against E. repens and M. microspora.ConclusionsAntimicrobial activities demonstrated by the extracts of the endophytic fungi Plectophomella sp., Physalospora sp., and C. monogyna and four isolated compounds clearly demonstrate that these fungi extracts and active compounds present a great potential use in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.     

Evaluation of antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plant extracts from south India against human pathogens

ObjectiveThe present study was to evaluate the antibacterial properties of 21 crude extracts from leaf and flower of Aristolochia indica (A. indica), Cassia angustifolia (C. angustifolia), leaf of Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus), Diospyros melanoxylon (D. melanoxylon), Dolichos biflorus (D. biflorus), Gymnema sylvestre (G. sylvestre) and Justicia procumbens (J. procumbens).MethodsThe ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol extract of medicinal plants were evaluated against Gram-positive Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) and Gram-negative bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila (A. hydrophila), Enterobacter aerogenes (E. aerogenes), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) by using well diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).ResultsThe crude plant extracts demonstrated broad spectrum activity against all bacteria. The highest inhibitory zone was observed in leaf methanol extract of A. indica against E. aerogenes (25 mm), and E. coli (20 mm), flower methanol extract of C. angustifolia against B. cereus (22 mm) and leaf acetone extract of G. sylvestre against B. cereus (22mm). The MIC values of leaf methanol extract of A. indica against K. pneumonia (22.6μg/ml), and flower extract showed against E. coli (MIC: 24.2μg/ml), leaf ethyl acetate extract of C. angustifolia against K. pneumoniae (MIC: 28.4μg/ml). Acetone ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of D. melanoxylon and D. biflorus showed the lowest MIC activity value of >30 μg/ml against all tested pathogens.ConclusionThe antibacterial activity could be confirmed in most species used in traditional medicine in South India. Nevertheless, traditional knowledge might provide some leads to elucidate potential candidates for future development of new antibiotic agents.     

Insecticidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of bulb extracts of Allium sativum

ObjectiveTo evaluate the insecticidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of bulb extracts of Allium sativum (A. sativum).MethodsDried bulbs of A. sativum were extracted with different solvents and evaluated for insecticidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.MethodsAqueous and methanol extracts showed highest insecticidal activity (mortality rate of 81% and 64% respectively) against the larvae of Spodoptera litura (S. litura) at a concentration of 1 000 ppm. With regard to antimicrobial activity, aqueous extract exhibited antibacterial activity against gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureu,) and gram negative (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia) strains and antifungal activity against Candida albicans. While methanol extract showed antimicrobial activity against all the tested micro organisms except two (Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans), the extracts of hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate did not show any anti microbial activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration of aqueous and methanol extracts against tested bacterial and fungal strains was 100–150 μg/mL. Antioxidant activity of the bulb extracts was evaluated in terms of inhibition of free radicals by 2, 2′-diphenly-1-picrylhydrazyl. Aqueous and methanol extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activity (80%–90% of the standard).ConclusionsAntioxidant and antimicrobial activity of A. sativum against the tested organisms therefore, provides scientific basis for its utilization in traditional and folk medicine. Also, our results demonstrated the insecticidal efficacy of A. sativum against S. litura, a polyphagous insect.     

Antioxidant activity and phytochemical screening of the methanol extracts of Euphorbia hirta L

ObjectiveTo assess antioxidant activities of different parts of Euphorbia hirta (E. hirta), and to search for new sources of safe and inexpensive antioxidants.MethodsSamples of leaves, stems, flowers and roots from E. hirta were tested for total phenolic content, and flavonoids content and in vitro antioxidant activity by diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and reducing power was measured using cyanoferrate method.ResultsThe leaves extract exhibited a maximum DPPH scavenging activity of (72.96±0.78)% followed by the flowers, roots and stems whose scavenging activities were (52.45±0.66)%, (48.59±0.97)%, and (44.42±0.94)%, respectively. The standard butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was (75.13±0.75)%. The IC₅₀ for leaves, flowers, roots, stems and BHT were 0.803, 0.972, 0.989, 1.358 and 0.794 mg/mL, respectively. The reducing power of the leaves extract was comparable with that of ascorbic acid and found to be dose dependent. Leaves extract had the highest total phenolic content [(206.17±1.95) mg GAE/g], followed by flowers, roots and stems extracts which were (117.08±3.10) mg GAE/g, (83.15±1.19) mg GAE/g, and (65.70±1.72) mg GAE/g, respectively. On the other hand, total flavonoids content also from leave had the highest value [(37.970±0.003) mg CEQ/g], followed by flowers, roots and stems extracts which were (35.200±0.002) mg CEQ/g, (24.350±0.006) mg CEQ/g, and (24.120±0.004) mg CEQ/g, respectively. HPTLC bioautography analysis of phenolic and antioxidant substance revealed phenolic compounds. Phytochemical screening of E. hirta leaf extract revealed the presence of reducing sugars, terpenoids, alkaloids, steroids, tannins, flavanoids and phenolic compounds.ConclusionsThese results suggeste that E. hirta have strong antioxidant potential. Further study is necessary for isolation and characterization of the active antioxidant agents, which can be used to treat various oxidative stress-related diseases.     

Evaluation of wound healing and antimicrobial potentials of Ixora coccinea root extract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the wound healing and antimicrobial activity of root extracts of Ixora coccinea (I. coccinea).MethodsTo investigate the wound healing efficacy of root extract of I. coccinea Linn, five groups of animals were divided each containing six animals. Two wound models including incision and excision wound models were used in this study. The parameters studied were tensile strength on incision wound model and in terms of wound contraction for excision wound model were compared with standard Nitrofurazone (NFZ) ointment (0.2% w/w). Six extracts (ethanol, aqueous, petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform and ethyl acetate) of I. coccinea were screened for in vitro growth inhibiting activity against different bacterial strains viz, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pumilius, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger were compared with the standard drugs ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol for antibacterial and griseofulvin for antifungal screening. The serial dilution and cup (or) well plate methods were used for the antimicrobial study and MIC was determined.ResultsThe ethanolic extract showed significant (P<0.001) wound healing activity when compared to standard drug NFZ with respect to normal control group. Amongst all, ethanolic extract showed highly significant antibacterial activity against all bacterial strains used in this study when compared to standard. The aqueous extract showed moderate significant inhibition against all bacterial strains when compared to standard. All the extracts were shown negligible activity against the fungal strains used in this study.ConclusionsThe ethanolic root extract of I. coccinea showed pronounced wound healing and antibacterial activity. The probable reason to heal the wound was that the external application of the extract prevented the microbes to invade through the wound thus the protection of wound occurs against the infection of the various organisms.     

In vitro larvicidal potential against Anopheles stephensi and antioxidative enzyme activities of Ginkgo biloba, Stevia rebaudiana and Parthenium hysterophorous

ObjectiveTo investigate in vitro larvicidal and antioxidant enzymes potential of the medicinal plants Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba), Stevia rebaudiana (S. rebaudiana) and Parthenium hysterophorous (P. hysterophorous) against Anopheles stephensi (An. stephensi) 4th instars larvae.MethodsFor evaluation of larvicidal potential, the ethanolic, methanolic and dichloromethane leaves extracts of three different plants were used in dose-dependent experiments in two media, while the antioxidant enzymes activities were investigated using four different methods viz., superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, ascorbate and catalase.ResultsAn. stephensi has developed resistance to various synthetic insecticides, making its control increasingly difficult. The comparative performance of ethanolic extracts (65%-90%) was found better than the methanolic extract (70%-87%) and dichloromethane extract (60%-70%). Among the three plants extracts tested in two media, S. rebaudiana exhibited higher larvicidal activity with LC₅₀ (24 h) in methanolic extract than P. hysterophorous and G. biloba. G. biloba and P. hysterophorous exhibited the strongest antioxidative enzymes activity and S. rebaudiana were less active and no significant difference was observed.ConclusionsThese three plants exhibit larvicidal potential and can be further used for vector control alternative to synthetic insecticide due to eco-friendly and diseases control, furthermore these plant species have potent antioxidative enzyme activities, therefore, making them strong natural candidate particularly for diseases which are caused due to free radicals.