Abstract

ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT HERBAL PLANTS EXTRACTS: A REVIEW

Amit Kapoor*, Gurdeep Kaur and Rajinder Kaur

ABSTRACT

In the present paper we have focus on the worldwide use of traditional plants for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by micro-organisms. In early twentieth century, the discovery of antibiotics pro-vide a tool against the microbial infections but due to multiple drug re-sistance and adverse effects on host including hypersensitivity, im-mune suppression and allergic reactions shown by antibiotics creates a need of natural medicines with safe and better therapeutic effect. Me-dicinal plants from natural origin contain secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, steroids, tannins, and phenolic compounds capable of ex-erting antimicrobial activity by various mechanisms. These active con stituents show its therapeutic effect via destruction of cell membrane of microbe, membrane proteins, enzymes located on cell membrane of microbes etc. Different extracts of medicinal plants with minimum inhibitory concentration against microbial infections meet the need of safe and efficient therapeutic agent against infectious diseases.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, Minimum inhibitory concentration, Secondary me-tabolites, Extracts.