ABSTRACT
“Triphala”, the Ayurvedic wonder is used traditionally for the treatment of different types of diseases since antiquity. The hydroalcoholic extracts of the three components of Triphala powder demonstrated varying degrees of strain specific antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant uropathogenic bacteria. Terminalia chebula fruit extract was active against all the test isolates followed by Terminalia belerica and Emblica officinalis. There was a close association between antibacterial activity and total phenolic content of Triphala components.The test plant extracts were also found to be non-toxic on human erythrocyte membrane at recommended and even higher doses. The preliminary results of the present study may help in developing effective and safe antimicrobial agents from Triphala components for the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Subject(s)
Bacteria/drug effects , Drug Resistance, Bacterial , Drug Resistance, Multiple , Ethanol , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Urinary Bladder/microbiologyABSTRACT
A comparative in vitro antibacterial potential of extracts (aqueous and ethanol) of five important medicinal plants (Aegle marmelos, Azadirachta indica, Terminalia chebula, Mangifera indica and Ocimum sanctum) were investigated using microbial growth inhibition assays against the common human pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) of clinical origin. All the plant materials showed varying degrees of strain specific inhibitory action and ethanol extract of the plant materials showed higher antibacterial activity than their aqueous counterparts. Besides, T. chebula and A. marmelos had the strongest antibacterial activity out of which, T. chebula possessed a wider spectrum and a superior antibacterial potential over the others. The bioactive compounds of T. chebula might have potential as therapeutic agents for the treatment of common bacterial infections.