Evaluation of Anti-microbial activity of methanolic extract of Costus igneus plant against multidrug-resistant pathogenic microorganisms

Abstract

Costus igneus plants are highly active against the majority of Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms. The purpose of the current study was intended to evaluate the anti-microbial potential of methanolic extract of Costus igneus over multidrug-resistant bacteria, specifically to methicillin, vancomycin, carbapenems, colistin. The study also focused on the antifungal activity of the plant extract against Candida species. Phytochemical analysis was conducted to identify the presence of the active chemicals such as steroids, alkaloid, flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, saponin, tannin, glycosides, quinones, coumarins and phenolic compounds using standard protocols. Anti-microbial activity of C. igneus was assessed through agar well diffusion technique and Minimum inhibitory concentration method (MIC) by using multidrug-resistant Gram-positive microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative microorganisms (E.coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Citrobacter species) and also Candida albicans. At 120mg/ml C.igneus plant extract concentration, maximum zone of inhibition was obtained with all the nine tested microorganisms and however the zone of inhibition was slighter with regular standard potential antibiotics like colistin, imipenem etc. Anti-microbials of plant origin possesses tremendous therapeutic potential as they can accomplish the requirements with fewer sideeffects that are routinely associated with synthetic anti-microbials. In this investigation, it was established that C. igneus leaf extract possesses excellent anti-microbial activity which can be attributed to the occurrence of phytochemicals. Further discovery of plant-derived anti-microbials should be continued to trim down the usage of powerful drugs which pose bad side effects.