ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF VINCA ROSEA AND ASSESSING ITS ROLE AS AN ALTERNATIVE AGAINST EMERGING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT MICROORGANISMS

Background: Overuse of antibiotics is a major cause for the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of bacteria therefore, it has become imperative to find new alternatives and effective antimicrobial agents from natural resources available. Aim: Screening and analyzing the antimicrobial activity of Vinca rosea plant solvent extracts against common gram negative and positive pathogenic strains and determining minimum concentration of plant solvent extract required for inhibitory action. Material And Methods: Preparing solvent extract of Vinca rosea using Soxhlet Apparatus and determining antimicrobial activity by Disc diffusion method. Results: Among the six organisms tested, significant antimicrobial activity was observed in methanol root extract against Klebsiella pneumonia (15mm zone at 100 mg/ml) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (12mm zone at 100mg/ml). For leaf extract, inhibition zone ranged from 5 - 6mm compared to gentamicin, penicillin G and chloramphenicol, root extract showed distinct results than all three in case of Klebsiella pneumoniae (gram negative) and effective results than penicillin G and chloramphenicol in case of gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Discussion: The present study revealed the antibacterial potential of crude extracts prepared from various dried parts of Vinca rosea, root extracts displayed strong. The difference in antimicrobial activity of extracts can be attributed to its chemical components. Conclusion: The present study on Vinca rosea further lends support to the use of plant-based compounds as an alternate antimicrobial treatment in the future. Key Words: Antimicrobial, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Vinca rosea