Phytochemical Profiles Of Three Traditional Medicinal Plants And Its Antimicrobial Activities

Objective: The objective of the current study was to compare the phytochemical composition and to evaluate the antibacterial properties of Cissus qudrangularis, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Trigonella foenum-graecum against the bacterial strains Escherichia coli and Bacillus circulans. Methods: Qualitative analysis and quantitative estimation of various phytochemical components were done using standard protocols. Antibacterial activity against gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Bacillus circulans was evaluated using standard protocol of agar well diffusion and disc diffusion assay. The zone of inhibition was calculated. Results: Preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins and tannins in all three plant extracts. In quantitative estimation, Cinnamomum zeylanicum showed high alkaloid content (22%), Cissus qudrangularis showed high saponin content (6%) Trigonella foenum-graecum showed a high concentration (4.65 mg/g) of tannin. All the three plants showed moderate antimicrobial activity. The water extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum showed the highest zone of inhibition (13 mm) against Escherichia coli and the water extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum showed the highest zone of inhibition (11 mm) against Bacillus circulans. Conclusion: The result of this study supports the use of all the selected three medicinal plants as a source of antibacterial substance for the possible treatment of human pathogenic organisms. These plants can be further subjected to isolation of the therapeutic phytochemicals and further pharmacological evaluation.

Antioxidant And Antibacterial Activity Of Alkaloid Extract Of Cucumis Trigonus Roxb

Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial efficiency of alkaloids of root, leaf, and fruit of Cucumis trigonus. Methods: The antioxidant and antibacterial properties of alkaloid extracts were assessed by ferric thiocynate (FTC), 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assay, superoxide radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power were analyzed separately for its inhibition percentage at different concentration (20µg, 30µg, 40µg and 50µg/ml) and antibacterial activity by agar disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC Code-9886), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC Code-6458). Results: The highest percentage of extraction yield was observed in fruit followed by leaf and root. The maximum content of alkaloid was found in fruit and root compared to leaf. The scavenging efficiencies of the extracts increased with the increasing concentrations. Appreciable levels of total antioxidant activity by FTC (2.112±0.011%), DPPH radical scavenging activity (1.912±0.001%), superoxide radical scavenging activity (0.955±0.021%) and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activity (0.914±0.087 %) were observed at 50µg/ml of fruit extract. However, ferric reducing power was more in the root (0.893±0.0870%) compared to fruit (0.791±0.023%) and leaf (0.520±0.00 %) at 50µg/ml. The alkaloid extracts of root and fruit exhibited more antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (16.51±0.05 and 19.68±0.03 mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.2±0.03 and14.2±0.06) at 100µg/ml than leaf. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the root, leaf, and fruit was in the range of 3.125µg/ml to 35µg/ml for the pathogenic bacteria. Conclusion: Data from the present results revealed that the alkaloid extracts of fruit and root of C. trigonus show good antioxidant and antibacterial potential than leaf. Hence, may be explored for the formation of new antibacterial with antioxidant drugs.

Correction of Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay to the errors of automated ampicillin susceptibility test for Hemophilus influenzae / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective Broth dilution method was used as a reference method to observe the capability of Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay(K-B)for correcting automated ampicillin susceptibility detection of He-mophilus influenzae(HI).Methods A total of 228 HI strains isolated were collected,broth dilution assay,K-B and automated microdilution broth test(ATB)were used to determine the susceptibility of HI to ampicillin. Analyze the essential agreements of the three methods and the correction of K-B to the errors of A TB. Results The essential agreement of K-B or ATB with broth dilution method were 77.19%,70.18% respec-tively,combination of K-B and ATB could make the essential agreement increase up to 86.0%,which was sig-nificantly higher than ATB(χ2=16.600,P=0.000).Major error of ATB(42.0%)was higher than that of K-B(10.0%)(χ2=13.306,P=0.001),but very major error and minor error showed no significant difference be-tween the two methods(χ2=1.208,P=0.272;χ2=1.182,P=0.227),meanwhile,76.19% of major error of ATB could be corrected by K-B.For the very major error of ATB,53.57% could be corrected by K-B.Howev-er,the corrective capability of K-B to minor error of ATB was relative low.Conclusion K-B test could correct some errors generated by ATB.For the β-lactamase negative strains which were judged as ampicillin resistance by A TB,K-B test should be used to correct the errors by ATB.Moreover,it is necessary to apply K-B to confirm am-picillin sensitivity of the β-lactamase positive strains which were judged as ampicillin susceptible by ATB.

In vitro evaluation of Schima wallichii (DC.)Korth.fruit for potential antibacterial activity.

Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. is a large evergreen and well known tree of Sikkim Himalayan region. The bark of this plant is traditionally used as antipyretic, antiseptic, anthelmintic, wound healing agent. In the present study an attempt has taken to investigate for potential antibacterial activity by taking different extracts of fruits of Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 8530 and Bacillus liherfernis 10341) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli HD10; Salmonella paratyphi A2 and Vibrio cholera 64). Antibacterial activity of Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. fruit extracts (benzene, acetone and aqueous) were assayed by the disc diffusion method. Among all the extracts, acetone extract was found most active against Escherichia coli HD10 and Bacillus liherfernis 10341 but this extract have no effect in case of Vibrio cholera 64. The MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations) of the extract was found 100 μg/ml for Escherichia coli HD10 and 150 μg/ml for Bacillus liherfernis 10341. The study promises an interesting future for designing a potentially active antibacterial agent from Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. fruit.

Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potential of Selected Seaweeds from Kodinar, Southern Coast of Saurashtra, Gujarat, India.

The antimicrobial and antioxidant activity was evaluated for the marine seaweeds viz., Enteromorpha sp. Cystoseria indica, Sargassum swartzii, Gracilaria corticata, Caulerpa taxifolia and Caulerpa racemosa from Kodinar coast, Gujarat. Different solvents viz., methanol, ethanol, chloroform and diethyl ether were used for seaweed extraction to envisage the antibacterial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria viz., Escherichia coli, Proteus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. Hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay and total antioxidant capacity were determined in ethanol extracted seaweeds. The maximum antibacterial activity was observed in the ethanol extract of all the seaweeds except C. racemosa. Among the seaweeds, the total antioxidant potential was found to be maximum in the ethanol extract of S. swartzii - 19.84±0.14 (19.8 mg of Ascorbic acid/g of seaweed extract) and the greatest H2O2 scavenging activity was shown by the ethanol extract of S. swartzii (81.63±0.39 % inhibition) compared to the control (ascorbic acid) 95.24±0.22. Hence, from the present study it is evident that the seaweeds collected from Kodinar coast harbors excellent inhibitory activity against various human pathogens and has significant antioxidant potential as well. In particular, the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of S. swartzii was found to be excellent and can be pointed out as the best candidate among the other seaweeds tested.

Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Five Malaysian Medicinal Plants.

Natural drugs play important and vital role in the modern medicine. It is usually used to cure some ailments which may not be treated by conventional medicine. Natural drugs may exhibit many biological activities, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-diabetic and antioxidant. Five medicinal plants were screened, namely Moringa oleifera, Cymbopogon citrates, Cynodon dactylon, Manihot esculenta and Plectranthus ambonicus, for potential antibacterial activity against five clinical pathogens (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella peumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis). The purpose of this study is extracting, analyzing and screening phytochemicals and antibacterial activity in selected plant leaves. The ethanolic extracts of plant leaves were prepared using Soxhlet extraction and the in-vitro testing were conducted using disc diffusion method. The diameter of inhibition zones were measured in millimetre (mm), and test were conducted in three replicates. At concentration 5mg/mL, no inhibition zones detected in all extracts. As the concentration of extract increases, the bacterial inhibition zones also increases; thus, the more effective the antibacterial properties. The most active antibacterial plant was P. ambonicus, followed by M. oleifera and C. citratus; and the weakest were C. dactylon and M. esculenta. The most susceptible bacteria were S. aureus, followed by K. peumoniae and the most resistant bacteria were P. aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids and saponins in most of the plant extracts. The result of this study supports the use of all the selected five medicinal plants as a source of antibiotic substance for the possible treatment of human pathogenic organisms. These plants can be further subjected to isolation of the therapeutic antimicrobials and further pharmacological evaluation.

Ripen fruits of Indian ginseng: Phyto-chemical and pharmacological examination against human and plant pathogens.

The ripen fruit extracts of Withania somnifera were evaluated against medically important bacteria viz. Proteus merabilis, Klebsiella pnemoniae, Agerobacterium tumefaciens (plant pathogen) and one fungi Aspergillus niger. The dried and powdered ripen fruits were successively extracted with a series of non polar to polar solvents using soxhlet assembly. The antimicrobial assay was done by both disc diffusion and broth dilution methods. Glacial acetic acid extract of W. somnifera show highest activity against A. tumefaciens (plant pathogen) and water extract against K. pnemoniae to varying degrees in the terms of high inhibition zone and activity index. A. tumefaciens was the most susceptible organism in compare to the other organism. Gentamycin and Ketoconazole, the standard antibacterial and antifungal used was effective against the bacteria and fungi. The extract of W. somnifera also significantly (P>0.005) inhibited the bacterial and fungal growth. The inhibitory effect is very identical in magnitude and comparable with that of standard antibiotics used.

Preliminary comparative analysis of antibacterial effects of activated and non-activated of expired platelet concentrate by disc diffusion method.

Background: Platelets release more than 30 cytokines to provide primary hemostatic function. In addition, platelets are also known to release antimicrobial peptides upon activation by thrombin. Materials and Methods: In this study, comparative analysis of antibacterial activity of activated and non-activated expired platelet concentrate was determined against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Thrombin was used to prepare activated platelet concentrate. Gram-positive bacteria tested in this study were S.aureus and S.pyogenes and Gram-negative bacteria were E.coli and K.oxytoca. All the bacteria used in this study were sensitive strains from clinical isolates. Activated and non-activated platelet showed no zone of inhibition against S.pyogenes and E.coli. Results: Activated platelet showed antibacterial activity against S.aureus and K.oxytoca with the zone of inhibition of 8.3 ± 0.6 mm and 7.7 ± 0.2 mm, respectively. Zone of inhibition observed in non-activated platelet against S.aureus and K.oxytoca were 7.8 ± 0.4 mm and 7.5 ± 0.3 mm, respectively. Conclusions: These findings showed that no significant differences in antibacterial activity produced by activated and non-activated platelet. However, zone of inhibition observed in activated and non-activated platelet indicate the presence of antibacterial property in expired platelet.

Investigation of bioactivity of extracts of Marine Sponge, Spongosorites halichondrioides (Dendy, 1905) from western coastal areas of India

Objective: Sponges (phylum Porifera) are sessile marine invertebrates and are known to be the richest source of pharmacologically-active compounds. This work was taken to investigate the antibacterial, antifungal activity and cytotoxicity from marine sponge. Method: In this study the marine sponge Spongosorites halichondrioides crude extracts were investigated for three bioassays. The first is an antimicrobial test against Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa and the second is an antifungal test against three pathogenic fungi, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillusniger and Metarhizium anisopliae. The third is a cytotoxicity test using larva of Artemia salina, for detection of cytotoxic activity in the extracts. Result: For all the three bioassays, extracts were found to be bioactive. This result suggests that this marine sponge is able to produce biologically active agents required for an overall defense against their predators. Conclusions: Further GC MS was done and the fragmentation pattern, showed the presence of sterol esters and terpenoids in the active extracts.

Optimization of cultural conditions affecting growth and improved bioactive metabolite production by a subsurface aspergillus strain TSF 146.

The aim of this study was to optimize cultural conditions for optimum growth and bioactive metabolite production by Aspergillus strain TSF 146, isolated from the subsurface soils of Brahmaputra plains, Assam, India. Agar disc diffusion assay was used to examine the antagonistic activity of the strain. The effect of different culture media, temperature, pH, incubation period, shaking, inoculum size and various carbon and nitrogen sources on the mycelial growth and bioactive metabolite production in a fixed volume of culture broth were studied. Aspergillus strain TSF 146 grew well and produced optimum bioactive metabolites in Potato dextrose broth medium at 25 °C on the 14th day of the incubation. The optimal mycelial growth, however, was obtained at pH 5.5. Sucrose (2.0 g/l) and asparagine (1.0 g/l) were the best carbon and nitrogen sources respectively for optimum growth and production of active metabolites by the isolate. Inoculum size of 2x1010 spores/ml with periodic shaking at 150 rpm optimized production of bioactive molecules. The results of the present investigation indicated that cultural conditions like carbon, nitrogen and mineral sources as well as physical factors such as temperature, pH, incubation period, inoculum size and shaking greatly affected the growth and production of bioactive metabolites by Aspergillus strain TSF 146.

Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of three medicinal plants of South India

The present study was carried out to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the crude methanolic extracts of Memecylon malabaricum Clarke. (leaves), Cochlospermum religiosum Linn. (leaves and flowers) and Andrographis serpyllifolia Vahl. (leaves) using the standard disc diffusion assay against eight strains of bacterial species, viz., Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum, Bacillus cereus and Micrococcus sp. The extracts of the plants at a concentration of 1.25 mg/disc showed minimum to moderate activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria indicating a broad spectrum activity. A preliminary phytochemical screening was conducted on the selected plant extracts using standard qualitative procedures that revealed the presence of several secondary metabolites. The extracts failed to show antioxidant activity by reducing power assay. The result indicates the potential usefulness of these plants especially Memecylon malabaricum and Cochlospermum religiosum, in treating microbial infections in humans and plants and justifies the need for further investigations and characterization of the bioactive compounds present in the methanolic extracts of the plants.