Antibacterial properties of punica granatum peels.

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study is that due to increasing concerns about the development of antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic bacteria, so alternative strategies are sought that do not use antibiotics to reduce pathogenic bacteria from foods and patients. Plants have been in use for thousands of years to conserve food and treat health diseases. The pericarp (peels) of Punica granatum has been commonly employed as a crude drug in Indian traditional medicine for treatment of diarrhea as well as for use as an antihelminthic, diuretic, stomachic, cardiotonic. Antibacterial properties of Punica granatum pericarp (peels) extracts (hot aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic) were evaluated against E.coli, P.aeruginosa and S.aureus using agar well diffusion method. Hot aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts of Punica granatum pericap show an average inhibitory zone diameter of 23.3, 22.3 and 24.5mm respectively which indicates that ethanolic extract shows best result having ZOI greater than that of the standard antibiotic Tetracycline (20.1mm). Ehanolic extract of Punica Granatum has lowest MIC of 1.45 μg/ml showing that it is most effective as compared to MICs of other extracts.