Abstract

ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIOXIDANT, PHYTOCHEMICALS EVALUATION OF FIVE INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS

Rahul More*, Govind Sanap, Ayesha Siddiqui, Shailaja Dhutekar, Shital Patil, Vrushali Diwan, Maya Lokare, Aakash Ingle and Priya Maske

Abstract

Even though pharmacological industries have produced a number of new antibiotics in the last three decades, resistance to these drugs by microorganisms has increased. In general, bacteria have genetic ability to transmit and acquire resistance to drugs, which are utilized as therapeutic agents. Such a fact is cause for concern, because of the number of the patients in hospitals has suppressed immunity, and due to new bacterial strains, which are multi-resistant. Consequently, new infections can occur in hospitals resulting in high mortality. The problem of microbial resistance is growing and the use of antimicrobial drugs in the future is still uncertain. Therefore, action must be taken to reduce this problem. The ultimate goal is to offer appropriate and efficient antimicrobial drugs to the patients. For a long period of time, plants have been a valuable source of natural products for maintaining human health, especially in the last decade, with more intensive studies for natural therapies. According to world health organization medicinal plants would be the best source to obtain a variety of drugs. About 80% of individuals from developed countries use traditional medicine, which has compounds derived from medicinal plants.[1] Therefore such plants should be investigated to better understand their properties, safety and efficiency. The use of plant extracts and phyto-chemicals, both with known antimicrobial properties, can be of great significance in therapeutic treatments. Drugs derived from natural sources play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of human diseases. In many developing countries, traditional medicine is one of the primary healthcare System. Herbs are widely exploited in the traditional medicine and their curative potentials are well documented. About 61% of new drugs developed between 1981 and 2002 were based on natural products. And they have been very successful, especially in the areas of infectious diseases and cancer. Recent trends, however, show that the discovery rate of active novel chemical entities is declining. Natural products of higher plants may give a new source of antimicrobial agents with possibly novel mechanisms of action. Plants are in rich in secondary metabolites such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, etc., which have been found in vitro to have antimicrobial properties. Hence, more studies pertaining to the use of plants as therapeutic agents should be emphasized, especially those related to the control of antibiotic resistant microbes. The present study was aimed to evaluate antimicrobial, antioxidant and phytochemical analysis of five Indian medicinal plants frequently used in Ayurveda.[2]

Keywords: Disk diffusion, MIC, DPPH, OH, Phytochemicals.