Abstract

BIO-EFFICACY OF BARK EXTRACTS OF TECOMELLA UNDULATA AGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

Mukesh Kumar* and Kiran Nehra*

ABSTRACT

The present study was designed to evaluate the bio-efficacy of crude extracts of Tecomella undulata bark by examining their antimicrobial potential against twenty pathogens, including twelve bacterial (five Gram- positive and seven Gram- negative) and eight fungal strains. For determination of the antimicrobial activity, the crude aqueous and organic solvent (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol) extracts of bark of Tecomella undulata were prepared in increasing and decreasing order of solvent polarity, and were subjected to agar well diffusion assay. The extracts were found to exhibit variable inhibition zone (ranging between 7 to 27 mm) against most of the tested microbes; organic extracts showing a more potent activity as compared to the aqueous extract. Among the organic solvent extracts, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts were found to be most active against the different microorganism species tested. The broth microdilution assay gave minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging between 250 to 1000 μg/ml. The lowest MIC values were obtained against E. faecalis indicating the susceptibility of this organism to all extracts. The effectivity of a few extracts when compared with the antimicrobial response exhibited by the standard antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, fluconazole, ketoconazole and miconazole) was found to be comparable, or even higher than the antibiotics against a few microorganisms. The study thus promises an interesting future for designing a potentially active antimicrobial agent from Tecomella undulata.

Keywords: Tecomella undulata, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, pathogenic microorganisms.