Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial activity of methanolic extract and phenolic compounds of a liverwort, Reboulia hemispherica

Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial activity of methanolic extract and phenolic compounds of a liverwort, Reboulia hemispherica was carried out by Agar well diffusion technique. The Gram positive bacteria were more sensitive than the Gram negative ones, while the fungal species were least sensitive. R. hemispherica extract exhibited best results against Staphylococcus aureus, although it was active against all tested microbes. The antimicrobial activity increased with the increase in the concentration of the extract except in Klebsiella sp. S. aureus, E. faecalis and Bacillus cereus were inhibited more by the crude methanol extract of R. hemispherica than the phenolic compounds isolated from the extract. A. niger was inhibited equally by the crude methanol extract as well as the phenolic compounds. B. subtilis, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. sp. and P. notatum were inhibited more by phenolic compounds than the crude methanol extract of R. hemispherica. Thus phenolic compounds of R. hemispherica should be studied further for use as antimicrobial agent