Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF SOME INDIAN SPECIES OF SENNA MILL. AGAINST SOME UROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA

Sanjay Kumar Mishra*

ABSTRACT

Senna Mill., a leguminous genus of sub-tribe Cassiinae is well recognized for its antibacterial and antifungal activity. The antimicrobial susceptibility tests are performed using the paper discs impregnated with crude methanolic leaf extracts of three Senna Mill, species (Senna alata, Senna obtusifolia and Senna tora) in parallel with traditional antibiotic susceptibility disc to establish the antimicrobial efficacy of these phytochemicals against antibiotic resistance uropathogenic bacteria present in the clinical isolates of infected urine. The methanolic leaf extract of Senna alata, Senna obtusifolia and Senna tora contain diversity of secondary metabolites in variable amount, imparting antimicrobial activity to the crude methanolic extract. The chemical profile of each of these species differs characteristically, resulting difference in their antimicrobial efficacy. Senna obtusifolia have edge over other two species due to presence of optimal level of all the types of glycosides having ability to synergistically target multiple regulatory sites of the bacterial metabolic pathway adversely affecting bacterial growth and reproduction having bactericidal and bacteristatic activity. The plant based antimicrobial agents derived from three Senna Mill. have better antibacterial activity against uropathogenic bacteria than that of the traditional antibiotics. Realizing the increasing resistance among uropathogenic bacteria against antibiotics, these plant based secondary metabolites can be emerged as new, effective and alternative source of antimicrobial agent. These metabolites present in extract need to be screened, altered by optimization against specific target to develop pharmacologically effective next generation antibiotics, opening new vistas in therapeutic drug designing.

Keywords: Senna Mill, uropathogenic, methanolic, flavonoids, antibacterial.