ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF SPILANTHES ACMELLA MURR. AGAINST SELECTED PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

Abstract

Spilanthes acmella Murr. is a potent medicinal plant, belongs to the family Asteraceae. In the present study, petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol extracts of Spilanthes acmella were investigated for antimicrobial activity. The microorganisms employed were Escherichia coli and Baccillus subtilis. The susceptibility of bacteria strains against the two extracts was determined using the disk diffusion method. The plant is used in traditional system of medicine for healing various diseases. However, the present study was aimed to evaluate the parameters to determine the quality of the plant. This study comprises phytochemical and pharmacognostic investigations of the plant. Methanolic extracts of 44.84 % extracts in inhibiting the growth of the pathogenic bacteria under study, but were less potent when compared to those of Gentamycin which is used as positive controls. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of carbohydrates and saponins in all samples.