Abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate possible antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal activities of ethanol extract of Feronia limonia leaves. Phytochemical analysis of the crude extract was performed to detect presence of different kinds of phytoconstituents. The antibacterial activity was investigated against four Gram positive and four Gram negative bacteria by using disc diffusion method. The plant extract showed moderate antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus pyogenes and all tested Gram negative bacteria namely Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii, Shigella dysentery and Shigella flexneri in dose dependant manner. The results of castor oil-induced diarrhoeal study showed that Feronia limonia extract significantly reduced the severity & frequency of diarrhoea in mice at a higher dose of 500 mg/kg compared with the standard drug loperamide (25 mg/kg). The present study clearly supports the medicinal value of this plant. The overall results indicate the possibility of presence of some active principles in the plant extract possessing antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal actions.
Highlights
Antibiotic resistance developed by bacteria has become a vital issue all over the world
A good number of antibiotics are found to be inactive in recent years largely due to resistance development through the inappropriate and injudicious uses of commercial antimicrobial drugs commonly employed in the treatment of infectious diseases [1]
Feronia limonia as a whole, or its parts such as unriped fruit, riped fruit, root, bark, trunk gum and leaves have a broad spectrum of traditionally established therapeutic properties including antimicrobial and antidiarrhoeal effects [8,9]
Summary
Antibiotic resistance developed by bacteria has become a vital issue all over the world. To combat the problem of microbial resistance and for substitution with effective ones the developments of new antibacterial agents are necessary. Diarrhoea is another important health problem around the world, responsible for more than 5 million deaths annually [2,3]. Feronia limonia as a whole, or its parts such as unriped fruit, riped fruit, root, bark, trunk gum and leaves have a broad spectrum of traditionally established therapeutic properties including antimicrobial and antidiarrhoeal effects [8,9]. Assessment of antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal activities of the leaves of F. limonia was conducted to find out medicinal properties and to justify their traditional use for ailments of diseases
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