Investigation on antimicrobial activity and phytochemical screening of Randia spinosa (Thunb.) Poir. and Dillenia pentagyna Roxb.

Objective: To evaluate phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity of Randia spinosa (Thunb.) Poir. and Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. leaf extracts against human pathogens such as Gram positive bacteria (Streptococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis and Staphyllococcus aureus), Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and a fungus Candida albicans. Methods: Antimicrobial activity of methanol, acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of the two plants against the human pathogens was investigated by agar well diffusion method, and qualitative phytochemical screening was conducted for the presence of phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, catechins, coumarins, flavonoids, phenols, quinones, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids. Results: The qualitative phytochemical analysis showed the presence of diverse range of compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, tannins, terpenoids and saponins. The plants exhibited broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities against all the tested bacterial and fungal pathogens. The maximum zone of inhibition was observed in methanol extracts when compared with acetone and ethyl acetate extracts. The present study demonstrated that the selected plants had promising effect on the bacterial and fungal pathogens. Conclusions: The phytochemicals in the plants may be potentially responsible for the antimicrobial efficacy of these medicinal plants