Phytochemical Analysis and in Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Calotropis Gigantea, Lawsonia Inermis and Trigonella Foecum- Graecum

Objective: The aim of the present study was to screen phytochemicals and antimicrobial activities of the extracts of three medicinal plants viz. Calotropis gigantea, Lawsonia inermis and Trigonella foenum-graecum. Methods: The methanolic extracts of the three plants were tested against clinical isolates of five bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) and three fungal strains (Candida albicans Trichophyton rubrum and Aspergillus flavus) using agar well diffusion method and Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) by broth micro dilution. Results: L.inermis showed maximum antimicrobial activity against all the tested bacteria and fungi compared to the other plants. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins and steroids. The bioautographic results revealed that the maximum zone of inhibition of L.inermis extract was observed at Rf 0.28 and 0.22 for flavonoids and tannins respectively. Conclusion: The results of present study indicated that flavonoids and tannins are the major bioactive compounds which show potent antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms.