Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Amitriptyline Hydrochloride

Anti bacterial activities of several „non-antibiotic drugs‟ used in treatment of a variety of noninfectious human diseases have been observed. Such an effect has been noticed for barbiturates, beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists, diuretic drugs, H1 antihistamines, mucolytic agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, proton pump inhibitors and psychotherapeutic drugs. A synergic or antagonistic effect with antibiotics of several of these drugs have also been noticed.Amitryptyline hydrochloride, an anti depressant drug, was screened for its possible antimicrobial property against seven strains of bacteria, belonging to Gram positive and Gram negative genera, by disc-diffusion method at concentrations ranging from5-25mg/ml. Amitriptyline HCl was found to possess moderate anti-bacterial activity. since the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of amitriptyline, ranged from1-2 mg/ml for the tested strains.