Antimicrobial efficacy of a traditionally important medicinal plant - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Tiliacora acuminata</i> (Lam.) Hook. f.

Abstract

The present investigation was aimed to screen the antimicrobial potential of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Tiliacora acuminata </i>(Lam.) Hook. f.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>against various human bacterial and fungal pathogens. Antimicrobial efficacy was performed by disc diffusion method against the bacterial pathogens, viz. <i><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-SG" lang="EN-SG">Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,</span></i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-SG" lang="EN-SG"> <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus </i>incubated for 24 h at 37° C as well as the <span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-SG" lang="EN-SG">isolates of fungal pathogens, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, Rhizopus oxysporum </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> Candida albicans.</i> All the extracts of the plant, viz. acetone, chloroform, petroleum ether and distilled water, studied in the present investigation exhibited varying degree of inhibitory effect against the selected human pathogens. Further it is revealed that the activity <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">was significant in acetone and chloroform extracts. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-SG" lang="EN-SG">Proteus mirabilis</span></i><span style="mso-ansi-language:EN-SG" lang="EN-SG"> (fungus) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Aspergillus terreus </i>(bacterium) forms the most susceptible microbial strains. Hence, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">T. acuminata</i> forms a potentially good source of antimicrobial agent and demonstrates the importance of such plant in medicinal systems for curing various ailments.

</span></span></span></span>