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Original
Research Article
Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Some
Medicinal Plants against Enteric Bacteria with
Particular Reference to Multi-Drug Resistant Vibrio
cholerae
Saurabh
Acharyya1, Amarendra Patra2 and
Prasanta K. Bag1*
1Department
of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge,
Circular Road, Kolkata-700019, 2Department
of Chemistry, University of Calcutta, 92 Acharya
Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata-700009, India
*For correspondence:
E-mail:
pkbbioc@caluniv.ac.in; Fax: 91-33-2461 4849;
Tel: 91-033-2461 5445
Received: 19 Nov
2008
Revised accepted: 14 Feb 2009
Tropical
Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, June 2009; 8(3):
231-237
Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate the anti-enterobacterial potential of nine
ethnobotanically selected plants traditionally used in
different parts of India for the treatment of
gastrointestinal disorders such as cholera, diarrhea or
dysentery.
Methods:
The methanol extracts of these plants
were screened for antibacterial activity
against 11 strains of enteropathogenic bacteria,
including multi-drug resistant Vibrio cholerae
(serotypes O1, O139, and non-O1, non-O139), using broth
microdilution method. Ampicillin was used as a positive
reference standard to determine the sensitivity of the
strains. Phytochemical screening was carried out for
phenolics and flavonoids.
Results:
All of these plants
had bactericidal activity against at least one of the
test microorganisms with minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.125 to 32 mg/ml and
minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranging from
0.25 to 32 mg/ml.
Among these,
Terminalia chebula
Retz. (Combretaceae)
and Syzygium cumini
(L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae)
showed the most
promising broad spectrum antibacterial properties,
inhibiting all
of the strains tested, especially Vibrio cholerae,
Aeromonas hydrophila and Bacillus subtilis, with MBC
ranging from 0.25 to 4 mg/ml. Phenolics and flavonoids
were found to be present in the extracts.
Conclusion:
The findings provide support for the use of this plant
in traditional medicine for treatment of diarrheoa,
especially cholera.
Keywords:
Antimicrobial activity; Cholera; Diarrhea; Indian
medicinal plants; Enteric bacteria; Indigenous |
