Phytochemical and Antibacterial Studies of Lantana camara L. Leaf Fraction and Essential Oil

Abstract- The study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity of varying concentrations of Lantana camara Linn. leaf extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Salmonella gallinarum. Broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was evaluated through streaking of bacterial suspension onto Mueller-Hinton agar. Phytochemical tests were done to identify bioactive compounds present in the extracts. Results showed that among extracts used, L. camara leaf ethanolic fraction (EF) and essential oil (EO) demonstrate antibacterial activity. The MIC of essential oil ranges from 312.5μg/mL- 10,000μg/mL better than ethanolic fraction at 1,250μg/mL – 5,000μg/mL. Bacillus subtilis is the most sensitive organism inhibited at 312.5 μg/mL while Salmonella gallinarum showed less sensitivity with MIC starting at 5000 μg/mL. The MIC-MBC ratio revealed that the extracts possess bactericidal activity against test bacteria. Phytochemical evaluation indicates the presence of saponins, tannins and terpenoids in EF and terpenoids in EO. These compounds are believed to be responsible for the broad spectrum activity of the plant extracts. Index Terms- L. camara, leaf ethanolic fraction, essential oil, phytochemical screening, MIC-MBC I