In vitro evaluation of antimicrobial activity of two medicinal plants against human pathogenic bacteria

Effective treatment of a disease entails the development of new pharmaceuticals or some potential source of novel drugs. Commonly used medicinal plants of our community could be an excellent source of drugs to fight off this problem. This study is focused on exploring the antimicrobial properties of the plants that are commonly being used as traditional medicines. The antimicrobial potential of four different plant extracts was screened against twelve pathogenic microorganisms and two reference bacterial strains. Methanol extracts of Trianthemapentandra and Rubiacordifolia were subjected to a test of their antimicrobial properties by agar well diffusion method. The result indicated that most of the extracts exhibited antimicrobial properties. The highest potential was observed in the methanol extract of Rubiacordifolia against Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis with zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 15.4 ± 1.43, 15.3± 2.43 mm, respectively. Rubiacordifolia also showed the highest MIC against test organisms. The methanolic extract of of Trianthemapentandra showed efficacy against Enterococcus faecalis. The experiment confirmed the efficacy of two selected plant extracts as natural antimicrobials and suggested the possibility of employing them in drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by the test organisms.