IN VITROANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF HIGH ALTITUDE BRYOPHYTES AGAINST DRUG RESISTANT BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

Abstract

Resistance to drugs is a global concern. There is a continuous and an urgent need to discover new antimicrobial compounds from medicinal plants. Plant products provide unlimited opportunities for newdrug leads because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity. The lower plant forms like bryophytes are one of the potential sources against new and re-emerging drug resistant infectious diseases. In this study, the collecetdepiphytic bryophytesHomaliodendronrectifolium(Mitt.) Fleisch, Aerobrydiumfilamentosum(Hook.) Fleisch,  Garckeaphascoides(Hook.) C.Muellfrom high altitude area were tested against drug resistant bacterial pathogens. They were extracted by the percolation method using various solvents like acetone, ethyl acetate and distilled water. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated against the different drug resistant pathogenic bacterial strains using agar well diffusion method. The bryophyte extracts showed remarkable inhibitory activity against bacterial pathogens. The extracts were further screened for phytochemical studies and they revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenol, proteins and amino acids, resins, saponins, steroids, tannins, xanthoproteins and sugars. The antimicrobial activities of bryophytes weredue to the presence of various secondary metabolites, which may enhance at the high altitudes.