Abstract

IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF MATURE FRUITS OF TERMINALIA ARJUNA WIGHT & ARN.

Aniel Kumar Owk and Mutyala Naidu Lagudu*

ABSTRACT

To study the antimicrobial activity of Terminalia arjuna mature fruit pericarp extracts employed for antimicrobial assay against seven bacterial and three fungal strains by agar well diffusion method. Methanol and aqueous extracts showed good antimicrobial activity whereas chloroform and hexane extracts shown moderate and low activity, respectively. Methanol and aqueous extracts shown broad spectrum activity against Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The methanol extract showed the strong MIC against Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae whereas aqueous extract against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonsa aeruginosa and Candida albicans at a concentration of 31.2 μg/ml. The phytochemical studies revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoides, glycosides, phenols, saponins, steroids, tannins in fruit extracts. These results would be a guide in the selection of potential candidates for further pharmacological study and in search of new drug candidate in treating antibiotic resistant microorganisms.

Keywords: Terminalia arjuna, plants, extracts, antimicrobial activity.