ANTIBACTERIAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING FROM LEAF AND FRUIT EXTRACTS OF MOMORDICA CHARANTIA

Abstract

Momordica charantia is a well known plant in Asia including India which posses wide range of pharmacological activities. These drugs have been used in India as folk remedy in the form of decoctions and infusions to treat bacterial infections and also claimed to be an effective against variety of skin conditions like psoriasis, acne, wounds etc. The present investigation is carried out to study the antibacterial activity and the presence of various phytochemicals of different parts of Momordica charantia   extracts with different solvents on three microorganisms by disk diffusion method. Methanolic, ethanolic, hexane and aqueous extract of leaves, and fruits of the plant were evaluated for antibacterial activity using the disk diffusion method on three microorganisms (Bacillus subtilus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi). Zone of inhibition was calculated. Results indicate that the different concentrations of various extracts under study exhibit antibacterial activity and among the various extracts, fruit extracts have shown better activity as compared to leaf parts of extracts. Among the various extracts, methanol extracts have shown better antibacterial activity.