Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ERYTHRINA VARIEGATA

Suriyavathana Muthukrishnan*, Subha Palanisamy, Indupriya Santhanam and Gandhi Kaveriyappan

ABSTRACT

In the present study various extracts of Erythrina variegata such as aqueous, methanol, ethanol, hexane and DMSO were evaluated for their phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity against selected five bacterial and two fungal strains by using cup diffusion method. The activities of the samples were compared with that of standard antibiotics. Phytochemical screening of Erythrina variegata leaf extract in five different solvents showed the presence of important phyto-constituents like phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and saponins. In antimicrobial assay, all the organisms respond to the plant extract but inhibitory zone developed varied according to the concentration. Among the selected (aqueous, methanol ethanol, hexane and DMSO) extracts, the ethanolic extract showed a higher activity than other extracts. The ethanolic leaf extract of E. variegata showed higher activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. The methanolic leaf extract of E.variegata showed maximum zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus. The ethanolic extract of E.variegata exhibited high antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus fumigatus followed by methanol, DMSO, hexane and aqueous extracts.The results revealed that the antimicrobial activity exhibited by E. variegata ethanolic extract noted to be most effective than other solvents.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, Antibiotics, Erythrina variegata, Phytochemical screening.