Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of alkaloids of Terminalia chebula Retz. against some multidrugresistant microorganisms

Abstract

Alkaloids extracted from different parts (leaf, stem, stem bark, and fruits) of Terminalia chebula were screened for antimicrobial activity against nine bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Raoultella planticola, Enterobacter aerogens, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and Klebsiella pneumoniae) and two fungi (Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger) and one yeast (Candida albicans). Minimum inhibitory concentration, Minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration, and Total activity of the extracts, against each sensitive test pathogen, were also evaluated. Alkaloids from all plant parts showed good antimicrobial activity against almost all the test microorganisms except A. niger, against which, none of the tested extracts showed activity. The largest zone of inhibition (IZ 20.75 mm) was observed against P. aeruginosa. The total activity of the leaf alkaloid was found to be the same and the highest (256.41ml/g) was against E. aerogens and A. tumefaciens. Key words: Alkaloids, T. chebula, antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, minimum fungicidal concentration, E. aerogens