ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF LOBELIA NICOTIANIFOLIA AGAINST VARIOUS BACTERIAL STRAINS

Life Sciences-Bio Chemistry

Abstract

Indian tribal folks had used plant based natural products as curative agents for various illnesses, which is evidenced from Rig-Veda dated back 1500 B.C.  In this study, powdered plant material, leaves of Lobelia nicotianifolia sequentially extracted using methanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, chloroform,  petroleum  ether and  water.  Then  the extracts  were  concentrated  to  dryness  by evaporating the solvent at 40ºC. In vitro antibacterial activity of these extracts was studied by agar well diffusion method against gram positive Staphylococcus aureus   and gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi as well as Escherichia coli. Ciproflaxin, Cephotoxime and Amoxycillin antibiotic discs were used as standard. This study demonstrated that  the  methanol  extract  has  higher  antibacterial  activity against  clinical  isolated  bacterial pathogens  than  other  extracts.  All  these  extracts  were  able  to  inhibit  the  growth  of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa except peteroleum ether extract and ethyl acetate extract. This present study concluded that Lobelia nicotianifolia has strong antibacterial activity against clinical micro-organism. However, further studies should be needed for the isolation and characterization of these active compounds from Lobelia nicotianifolia.