Toxicological evaluation of the root and stem bark extracts of madhuca indica

This research work was conducted with the root and stem bark of Madhuca indica to find out their toxicological properties employing Brine Shrimp Lethality Bioassay. It was found that the root and stem extracts of the plant contained some constituents that were toxic for the Brine Shrimp Nauplii. The ether and alcohol extracts may have cytotoxic properties as well as other pharmacological activities but the ethyl acetate extracts showed mild activity. The results were discussed with reference to the indication of using the plant extracts as anti-mutagenic agent and appeared to be well-supported by their chemical constituents

In vitro studies on antibacterial property of the root and stem bark extracts of oroxylum indicum

The antimicrobial properties of the bark extracts of Oroxylum indicum was investigated using agar diffusion method. In this study, eight pathogenic bacteria namely: Staphylococcus aureus. Streptococcus pyogenes, Vibrio cholerae. Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Shigella dysenteriae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and one fungus, Candida albicans were selected. The ether extracts [EE] and alcohol extracts [AE] were found to be active against almost all of the bacteria and fungus tested. The ethyl acetate extract [EaE] of the root bark showed antimicrobial activity against four micro-organisms viz. Candida albicans, Shigella dysenteriae, Bacillus cereus and Streptococcus pyogenes but that of stem bark showed no activity against any of the micro-organisms. All the activities were compared by measuring the zone of inhibition with the standard antibiotic

Determination of antibacterial activity of some commonly used toothbrush sticks

As bacteria appear to be the main causative factor in most oral and dental problems, an attempt has been made in this investigation to determine the antibacterial properties of some fresh or dried plant parts commonly used as toothbrush sticks for routine cleaning of teeth. Ten such plants were chosen. In general these chosen plants were found to possess long strong fibres and bitter or astringent tastes. The crude water extracts of these plants were tested in vitro against the pathogenic bacteria and 8 of them showed a good antibacterial activity. The sensitivity of the strains to the extracts was compared with that of standard ampicillin sensidiscs