ANALYSIS OF THE PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF NYCTANTHES ARBOR- TRISTIS

The antimicrobial activity was evaluated on Gram positive bacteria- Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 3160), Gram negative-Escherichia coli (MTCC 1652) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 647) and fungi- Aspergillus niger (MTCC282), Aspergillus flavus (MTCC 2456), Fusarium culmorum (MTCC349) and Rhizopus stolonifer (MTCC 2591). The dried leaf extract prepared in ethanol, methanol, petroleum ether and aqueous solutions were used to assess their antibacterial and antifungal potential in terms of zone of inhibition of bacterial growth. The petroleum ether extract exhibited highest zone of inhibition against P. aeruginosa (20.3±0.92 mm) with low MIC value (24.5 mg/ml). Phytochemical screening of the extract showed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, tannins and saponins. Results obtained in the present study indicate that Nyctanthes arbor-tristis possess compounds with antimicrobial properties that can be used for plant based antimicrobial agents. KEY WORDS: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, antimicrobial activity, zone of inhibition, phytochemical analysis