Article Id:JPRS-MB-0000709 Title:Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Calotropis gigantea Latex Extract on Selected Pathogenic Bacteria. Category:Microbiology Section:Research Article
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The search for novel antibiotics like compounds from medicinal plants continues to be of extreme importance in recent research programs around the world because of the increase of multidrug resistance and toxicity of some used antibiotics. One such medicinal plant used since ancient times is Calotropis gigantea. The plant produces large quantity of latex with various medicinal properties. The present study was aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effect of partially purified C.gigantea latex extract on some human pathogenic bacteria. The antibacterial activity was tested against three Gram positive and three Gram negative bacteria. The inhibitory effect was assessed by well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were also determined by serial dilution method. The ethanolic extract was subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening for the presence of bioactive ingredients. The ethanolic extract shows the presence of many biologically active molecules such as flavonoids, alkaloids, triterpenoids, steroids, saponins and glycosides. The latex extract shows significant zone of inhibition in dose dependent manner. The MIC and MBC values of latex extract against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains varies from 1mg to 5mg and the results are comparable with chloramphenicol. From this study, we conclude that the latex extract possesses potent bactericidal activity which may be due to the presence of biologically active ingredients with antimicrobial activity in the ethanolic extract of C.gigantea. The present study would also contribute to the acceptance of C.gigantea latex in traditional medicine and to the solution of growing problems of drug resistance by microorganisms.
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy campus,Chennai – 600 025
*Corresponding author. Dr.S.Subramanian Assistant Professor,Department of Biochemistry University of Madras,Guindy campus, Chennai – 600 025 Tamilnadu, India
Received on: 25-11-2009; Revised on: 09-12-2009; Accepted on:15-02-2010