PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF LEAVES OF PONGAMIA PINNATA LINN. (FABACEAE) FROM INDIA

Herbal medicine is the most ancient form of health care known to man and are being used increasingly revealed as dietary supplement to fight or prevent common disease. Phytochemical screening of the plant leaves reveals the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, flavonoids glycosides, steroids, tannins and saponins. Petroleum ether extract, Chloroform extract, Ethyl acetate extract and Methanol extracts of Leaves of Pongamia pinnata Linn. were prepared and antibacterial activity were studied by disc diffusion method against certain enteric bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Proteus vulgaris. The Methanol extracts had wide range of antibacterial activity on these bacterial pathogens than the petroleum ether extract. Ethyl acetate extract were slightly higher antibacterial activity against bacterial pathogens than chloroform extract. Antibacterial activity of various extract of leaves of pongamia pinnata was carried in attempt to support the use by medicinal practitioner for the treatment of enteric infection