Abstract

DETERMINATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIBIOFILM ACTIVITIES OF SHILAJIT AGAINST CLINICAL ISOLATES- AN IN VITRO STUDY

*Anuya Aparna Rege and Dipti Bhushan Kolte

Abstract

Although majority of natural drugs are derived from plant and animal origins, a few of them obtained from mineral sources like Shilajit are of paramount significance as pharmaceutical aids. In the present in vitro study, Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm potential of Shilajit was evaluated against 6 clinical isolates using assays such as MIC, MBC, Agar Well Diffusion and Antibiofilm assay. The antimicrobial effect of Shilajit was evaluated using agar well diffusion method and the zones of inhibition were noted in the order of P. aeruginosa > P. vulgaris > K. aerogenes = K. pneumoniae = P. mirabilis = S. flexneri. Besides, antibiofilm potential of Shilajit was evaluated using crystal violet staining method and the antibiofilm activity was found to be in the order of P. vulgaris > K. pneumoniae > K. aerogenes > S. flexneri > P.mirabilis. However, Shilajit did not show antibiofilm effect against P. aeruginosa. The antibiofilm assay was further divided into before treatment and after treatment assays. In before-treatment sets, Shilajit did not show any inhibitory activity, whereas, in after treatment sets, Shilajit displayed the inhibitory effect except against K. pneumoniae. The combination prepared from Shilajit [SH] and Ciprofloxacin (CP)- standard antibiotic was further evaluated to determine its combinatorial effect against 6 bacterial biofilms as well as against mixed biofilm. The combination SH + CP exhibited higher inhibitory effect on mixed biofilm than that of Ciprofloxacin alone. Thus, previous and current studies exhibited Antibacterial and Antibiofilm activities of Shilajit against standard strains as well as clinical isolates.

Keywords: Shilajit, Ayurveda, Natural Products, Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm activity.