Anti-microbial activity of Cassia tora leaves and stems crude extract

Author Name(s): *T Murali Krishna, Nilamani Venisetty
Author Email: muralitoopurani@yahoo.co.in

Abstract

The present investigation is carried out to determine the anti-microbial activity of Cassia tora leaves and stem crude extracts at various concentrations. Agar well diffusion method is used to determine both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities. The phytochemical analysis was carried out to screen the presence of alkaloids, tannins and cardiac glycosides so as to establish its relation with antimicrobial activity. The phyto chemical analysis of both extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, tannins and saponins. The anti-microbial activity of methanolic extract of leaves and stem produced significant inhibitory zones against various tested organisms. Among the bacterial strains S.aureus and K. Pneumonia exhibited highest susceptibility whereas, both the fungal strains showed susceptibility to the extracts.

Keywords:

Cassia tora, phyto chemical analysis, zones of inhibition.

Introduction

Plants are considered as factories of enumerable biologically active compounds which possesses various pharmacological properties [1-3]. In recent years, the increased rate of infections and development of multi resistant human pathogenic organisms against various antimicrobial drugs [4] has become a very big live threat, and poses an emergency to find out an alternative source of highly therapeutic natural drugs with no side effects which are the most common in the use of synthetic drugs [5].
Cassia tora (Leguminosae) is most widely found in India as a weed and a well known herb used in ayurvedic medicine. It exhibits various pharmacological properties viz., Laxative,Antihelminthic, Ophthalmic, Liver tonic, Cardio tonic and Expectorant [6].
To the contrast of literature cited in the introduction about this plant, in the present investigation we tested few methanolic fractions of cassia tora leaf and stem crude extracts for the evaluation of phyto chemical analysis and antimicrobial activities.

Conclusion

The methanolic extracts of C. torra leaves and stem showed significant antimicrobial properties at various concentrations against all the tested bacterial strains.

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