Maximum Antifungal Activity Research Articles

Antimicrobial Efficacies, Antioxidant Activity and Nutritional Potentials of Trachyspermum ammi

Trachyspermum ammi (TA) is a traditional medicinal plant which can be considered as a source of natural antioxidants and can be used for a wide range of infectious diseases. Our objectives were to explore the biochemical efficacies of the aqueous and acetonic extract of TA with special emphasis on antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Nutritional profile and phytochemical screening were performed by standard methods. The agar well diffusion method was used to assess the antimicrobial activity against ten (10) clinical bacterial strains and five (5) fungal stains. The free radical scavenging activity of the acetonic extract was estimated spectrophotometrically by the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. In seeds of TA, the crude fat, crude fiber, vitamin C, moisture, ash contents, crude protein, TSS, total acidity, pH and total sugar were 4.6 ± 0.19%, 4.2 ± 0.1%, 13.5 ± 0.7%, 9.5 ± 0.19%, 11.5 ± 1.7%, 1.46 ± 0.2%, 1.1 ± 0.01%, 0.65 ± 0.01%, 5.75 ± 0.9% and 5.1 ± 0.9% respectively. TA tested positive for alkaloids, carbohydrates and sugar, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, protein and amino acid, gum and mucilage and tannins, while negative results were found for saponins. Antioxidant assessments by DPPH assay showed that acetonic extract of TA possess high radical-scavenging activity i.e., 71.0 ± 2.3%. Vitamin C was used as reference standard. Susceptibility testing of acetonic extract of TA revealed strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (zone of growth inhibition 13 mm), good activity against Salmonella typhi and Xanthomonas (with zone diameter of 12 mm), while TA was least active against Salmonella heidelberg (inhibition zone diameter of 5 mm), Klebsiella pneumoniae and Clostridium with 6 mm zone of inhibition. TA also exhibited maximum antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger (15 mm) and Entomola (11 mm). While least activity was observed against A. flavus and Alternaria alternata (inhibition zone diameter of 9 mm, each). Based on the experimental data, TA could be considered as a therapeutic agent to inhibit the free radical-mediated reactions in biological systems. However further molecular studies and mechanistic insights are needed.

환경친화적 미생물농약으로서의 잠재성을 가진 세균의 분리 및 특성

In this study, to retain a stable bacterial inoculant, Bacillus strains showing antifungal activity were screened. The improved production, antifungal mechanism, and stability of the antifungal metabolite by a selected strain, AF4, a potent antagonist against phytopathogenic Botrytis cinerea, were also investigated. The AF4 strain was isolated from rhizospheric soil of hot pepper and identified as Bacillus subtilis by phenotypic characters and 16S rRNA gene analysis. Strain AF4 did not produce antifungal activity in the absence of a nitrogen source and produced antifungal activity at a broad range of temperatures (25-40°C) and pH (7-10). Optimal carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of antifungal activity were glycerol and casein, respectively. Under improved conditions, the maximum-antifungal activity was 140±3 AU/ml, which was higher than in the basal medium. Photomicrographs of strain AF4-treated B. cinerea showed morphological abnormalities of fungal mycelia, demonstrating the role of the antifungal metabolite. The B. subtilis AF4 culture exhibited broad antifungal activity against several phytopathogenic fungi. The antifungal activity was heat-, pH-, solvent-, and protease- stable, indicating its nonproteinous nature. These results suggest that B. subtilis AF4 is a potential candidate for the control of phytopathogenic fungi-derived plant diseases.

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract of Dactyloctenium aegyptium

Dactyloctenium aegyptium is an Indian medicinal plant to provide fuel, fodder and stabilizes soil in natural woodland and plantations. Dactyloctenium aegyptium is known for its antimicrobial activity, but the antifungal effects of Ethanolic extract on growth of Aspergillus niger have been observed. The extract showed a favorable antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger. Ethanolic extract of Dactyloctenium aegyptium were examined for their phytochemical compounds and antimicrobial potential against three standard bacteria(Escherichia coli,Klebsiella Pneumonia,Staphylococci,) and one standard fungus (Aspergillus niger).The phytochemical analysis showed the presence of some active principle which correlates with the antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of Dactyloctenium aegyptium. The ethanolic extract of Dactyloctenium aegyptium shows the maximum antifungal activity compared to Griseoflavin.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of inhabitant PGPR strains of Pseudomonas from apple orchards

Aim of present research was to isolate and characterize the Pseudomonas strains phenotypically and genotypically from the rhizospheric soil of apple orchard at Maggota (Shimla district) Himachal Pradesh. Phenotypic identification of the test isolates was based on morphological, physiological and biochemical characterization of the bacteria followed by genotypic analysis using rRNA gene sequencing and RAPD-PCR analysis. The fourteen Pseudomonas sp. isolates were screened out for various plant growth promoting activities such as siderophore production, antifungal activity, phosphate solubilisation, HCN and ammonia production, production of plant growth regulators and lytic enzymes. Isolates showed production of plant growth regulators (auxins, gibberellins and cytokinins) in the range of 19.67-83.33?g/ml, 21.00-58.67 ?g/ml and 12.33-43.33 ?g/ml respectively. Pseudomonas strains showed phosphate solubilising activity in the range of 12.33-63.33 Pi ?g/ml, 53.66-93.44 % SU siderophore production and 11.33-96.33mm (diameter) protease activity in plate assay. Five Pseudomonas isolates i.e. An-16-kul, An-1-mag, An-2-mag, An-3-mag and An-6-mag showed maximum antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi. Therefore, the aim of present investigation was to study multifarious plant growth promoting qualities of Pseudomonas sp. and to select more efficient PGPR strain of fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. which can be further used as biofertilizer.

Optimization of Antifungal Extracts from Ficus hirta Fruits Using Response Surface Methodology and Antifungal Activity Tests.

The fruits of Ficus hirta (FH) display strong antifungal activity against Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum. In order to optimize the extraction conditions of antifungal extracts from FH fruit, various extraction parameters, such as ethanol concentration, extraction time, solvent to solid ratio and temperature, were chosen to identify their effects on the diameters of inhibition zones (DIZs) against these two Penicillium molds. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to obtain the optimal combination of these parameters. Results showed that the optimal extraction parameters for maximum antifungal activity were: 90% (v/v) ethanol concentration, 65 min extraction time, 31 mL/g solvent to solid ratio and 51 °C temperature. Under the abovementioned extraction conditions, the experimental DIZs values obtained experimentally were 57.17 ± 0.75 and 39.33 ± 0.82 mm, which were very close to the values of 57.26 and 39.29 mm predicted by the model. Further, nine kinds of phytopathogens were tested in vitro to explore the antifungal activity of the FH extracts. It was found for the first time that the FH extracts showed significant inhibition on the growth of P. italicum, A. citri, P. vexans, P. cytosporella and P. digitatum.

Biocontrol Activity of Bacillus subtilis Isolated from Agaricus bisporus Mushroom Compost Against Pathogenic Fungi.

Bacillus subtilis strain B154, isolated from Agaricus bisporus mushroom compost infected by red bread mold, exhibited antagonistic activities against Neurospora sitophila. Antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi was also observed. The maximum antifungal activity was reached during the stationary phase. This antifungal activity was stable over a wide pH and temperature range and was not affected by proteases. Assay of antifungal activity in vitro indicated that a purified antifungal substance could strongly inhibit mycelia growth and spore germination of N. sitophila. In addition, treatment with strain B154 in A. bisporus mushroom compost infected with N. sitophila significantly increased the yield of bisporus mushrooms. Ultraviolet scan spectroscopy, tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, matrix-associated laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analyses revealed a molecular weight consistent with 1498.7633 Da. The antifungal compound might belong to a new type of lipopeptide fengycin.

Comparative study of volatile constituents and antimicrobial activities of leaves and fruit peels of Citrus sinensis Linn.

A steam distilled volatile oil from the fresh leaves of Citrus sinensis Linn. analysed by capillary-GC and GCMS yielded eight components, of which seven were monoterpenic (99.6%) and one ester (0.4%). Cis-sabinene hydrate (35.1%) was the predominant monoterpene, followed by l - limonene (30.1%), citral (27.9%), lavendulol (2.5%), perillaldehyde (2.0%), α-pinene (1.4%) and perillyl alcohol (0.6%). The ester obtained was tert.-butyl benzoate (0.4%). Whereas volatile oil from its fresh fruit peels yielded five components of which three were monoterpenes (76.5%) and remaining two were non-terpenic compounds. α-pinene (60.80%) was the predominant monoterpene, followed by verbenone (15.40%) and α-thujene (0.30%).The non-terpenic compounds obtained was N-pentylcyclopentane (11.80%) and cyclopentenyl ethyne (11.70%). The maximum antibacterial activity was shown with 1%v/v of volatile oil collected from Greater Noida, U.P on Staphylococcus aureus (16.4 mm) followed by Escherichia coli (14.2 mm), and maximum anti-fungal activity was shown on Candida albicans (13.1 mm) followed by Aspergillus niger (12.5 mm).

Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of MarineStreptomyces parvulus VITJS11 Crude Extract

The main aim of the study was to evaluate the bioactive properties of ethyl acetate crude extract of Streptomyces parvulus VITJS11 with a view to assess their therapeutic potential. The biological activity of ethyl acetate extract was tested against fungal and bacterial pathogens. The free radical scavenging potential of the crude extract was determined by DPPH assay. The chemo preventive properties of S. parvulus VITJS11 ethyl acetate extract was examined by MTT assay on HepG2 cells. The morphological, physiological and the biochemical properties of the strain S. parvulus VITJS11 was confirmed by conventional methods. Genotypic characterization was done using 16S r-DNA partial gene amplification and sequencing. The authenticity of the crude chemical constitutes were determined by the GC-MS. The ethyl acetate extract of VITJS11 showed maximum antifungal activity against three Aspergillus species and prominent antibacterial activity against two Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria at 20 mg/mL. The antioxidant potential of the crude extract exhibited strong reducing power activity at 5mg/ mL with 85% inhibition and the cytotoxic effect was found with IC50 of 500µg/ mL on HepG2 cell lines. The GC-MS analysis and the chromatogram patterns revealed 16 peaks, indicating the presence of bioactive constituents, which included several important organic compounds, namely 9-(2',2'-dimethylpropanoilhydrazono)-3,6-dichloro-2,7-Bis-[2-(diethylamino)-ethoxy]fluorine (23.1) Dotriacontylpentafluoropropionate,(25.0) Octadecanoic acid, (20.0); Trans-2-methyl-4-n-butylthiane, S, S-dioxide.(19.0). The results showed the benefit of ethyl acetate extract from S. parvulus VITJS11 in treating microbial infections and indicated their broad spectrum of activity with beneficial virtues for therapeutic use.

Selection of Marine Actinomycetes with Bioactive Potential Isolated from Sediments of Bay of Bengal and Characterization of Promising Isolate, ABT-103

Aim: Marine actinomycetes are a potential and untapped source for the production of novel bioactive compounds. The aim of the present work is to isolate actinomycetes strains from the marine sediments of Bay of Bengal for the production of bioactive compounds and characterization of the potential actinomycetes. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, ANITS, Visakhapatnam, between March, 2014 and April, 2015. Materials and Methods: Marine sediment samples were collected along the coast of Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam, India. Actinomycetes were isolated on Starch Casein Agar plates by pour plate and spread plate methods. Morphologically distinct pure isolates were tested for antimicrobial activity by Cross-streak method in preliminary screening and by Cup-plate method in secondary Short Research Article Sridevi et al.; BMRJ, 10(2): 1-9, 2015; Article no.BMRJ.20132 2 screening. The marine isolates were also screened for enzyme activities of amylase, lipase, protease and L-asparaginase. The most potential isolate was characterized up to genus level based on morphological, chemotaxonomic, biochemical and physiological characteristics. Results: A total of 74 bacterial strains were isolated from marine sediment samples of Bay of Bengal. Among them, 13 morphologically distinct pure isolates were screened for antimicrobial activity and also for enzyme activities. Five isolates exhibited antimicrobial activity among which ABT-205 isolate showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and fungi, and ABT-103 exhibited maximum antifungal activity. Screening for enzyme activities revealed that nine isolates exhibited enzyme activities of which, ABT-101 and ABT-201 are highly potential for the production of Protease, whereas ABT-103 and ABT-206 were best producers of Amylase and Lipase enzymes, respectively. Among all the isolates screened, ABT-103 was found to be a promising isolate as it produced red pigment, exopolysaccharide, amylase and exhibited antifungal activity. Hence, the isolate ABT-103 was characterized and identified as Streptomyces species. Conclusion: The selected marine actinomycetes isolates, ABT-101, ABT-103, ABT-201, ABT-205 and ABT-206 could be useful or the production of novel antibiotics, enzymes with different physical and physiological properties, red pigment, exopolysaccharide and other compounds for various Biotechnological applications.

Evaluation of fungistatic potential of lichen extracts against Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. causing Rhizome rot disease in Ginger

Eight lichens were collected, identified and solvent extract were obtained using methanol and ethyl acetate in soxhlet apparatus. Antifungal properties of lichens were determined by Agar well diffusion method, Microdilution assay and TLC- Bioautographic technique. The largest zone of inhibition in well diffusion method was recorded (in mm) with the ethyl acetate extract of Parmotrema tinctorum with 18.6±1.15 followed by Teloschistes flavicans with 18.6±0.5. The maximum antifungal activity was found in the extracts of lichen Parmotrema tinctorum and Flavoparmelia caperata with low MIC value of 1.562mg/ml. Flavoparmelia caperata extract was active with a clear zone on TLC bioautogram of the tested organism indicating two zones of growth inhibition at an Rf value of 0.46, 0.6. Comparatively ethyl acetate extract showed a strong antifungal activity than methanolic extract. The results were promising with potential drug candidate having a fungitoxic effect to reinforce bioprospecting of lichens as a bio-fungicide.

Effect of foaming agent concentration and drying temperature on physiochemical and antimicrobial properties of foam mat dried powder

Mixed vegetable (bitter gourd, tomato and cucumber) juice powder was produced by foam mat drying method by varying foaming agent concentration and drying temperature. Foam properties of mixed vegetable juice, phytochemical and antimicrobial properties of powder were analyzed. The foam expansion, foam stability and solubility index were increased from 79.2 to 104%; 68.7 to 97% and 79 to 92%, respectively. Foam density was decreased from 0.2 to 0.17 g/cm3. Total phenol and Beta-carotene content were varied from 13.4 to 8.6 mg/g and 3.86 to 2.45 mg/g, respectively. Increasing foaming agent concentration increased the total phenol and beta-carotene content of powder. The maximum antibacterial and antifungal activities were observed as 9±0 and 9± 0.5 mm, respectively of minimum inhibition zone for the powder dried at 50°C with 30% of foaming agent and the minimum antibacterial and antifungal activities were observed as 7±0.5 and 6±0.5 mm, respectively was observed in powder dried at 70°C with 10% of foaming agent concentration.

Optimization of medium composition and culture conditions for antifungal activity of a tomato endophytic bacterium

Early blight of tomato, which is mainly caused by Alternaria solani, is an important, globally distributed disease. We previously isolated an endophytic bacterium (BT4) from healthy tomatoes that has high antifungal activity against A. solani. Industrial applications of antagonistic bacteria require the optimization of culture conditions for growth and antifungal activity. Thus, in this study, the optimum medium composition and culture conditions for BT4 were determined using the “one factor at a time” method and an orthogonal design. Optimal cell growth and maximum antifungal activity were obtained at 30°C, pH 7.0, with an inoculation proportion of 2% and incubation for 48h in 12g/L yeast extract, 10g/L soluble starch and 7g/L CaCl2 in the culture medium. In addition, we compared the antifungal activity of BT4 with iprodione, a contact fungicide that is used on a variety of plants affected by fungal diseases. The results showed that BT4 had antifungal effects that were better than iprodione.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Some 1,3,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity

A series of substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (3a–f) and (6a–f) have been synthesized from diphenylacetic acid hydrazide under microwave irradiation in various reaction conditions. The structures of the synthesized compounds were assigned on the basis of elemental analysis, IR, and 1H NMR. These targeted compounds have been tested for their antibacterial and antifungal activities compared to ampicillin and griseofulvin as standard drug. Compounds 3a, 3e, 3f, 6c, 6d, 6e, and 6d exhibited the maximum antibacterial activities while 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 6a, 6d, and 6e exhibited the maximum antifungal activities.

Evaluation of some plant extracts for controlling mycoflora causing spoilage of stored cereals and legumes

This study aimed to isolate and identify seed-borne fungi associated with some cereals and legumes and the possibility of their control by some plant extracts. The studied cereals and legumes were Sorghum bicolor , Triticum aestivum , Oryza sativa , Lens esculentus , Vigna sinensis , Arachis hypogea and Vicia faba . Thirteen fungal species were isolated from these cereals and legumes. Five fresh plants called Allium sativum , Aloe vera , Mentha basilicum , Musa acuminate and Eucalptus rostrata and eleven dried plants called Datura stramonium , Zingiber officinale , Azadirachta indica, Jatropha curcas, Euphorbia peplis, Ocimum basilicum, Carum carvi, Rosmarinus officinalis, Nigella sativa, Cuminum cyminum and Citrullus colocynthis as medicinal plants were screened for their antifungal activities. Aqueous extracts of all mentioned plants were tested against Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum in vitro because they represented the highest percentage of occurrence on seeds and grains. Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale exhibited maximum antifungal activity , whereas Datura stramonium and Citrullus colocynthis showed moderate activity. In addition, these plant extracts were tested against the germination of seeds and grains by using blotter plate method. Treated seeds and grains by plant extracts showed an increase of their germination (%) and reduction of seed-borne fungal infection.

Microwave assisted one-pot catalyst free green synthesis of new methyl-7-amino-4-oxo-5-phenyl-2-thioxo-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylates as potent in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity

An efficiently simple protocol for the synthesis of methyl 7 amino-4-oxo-5-phenyl-2-thioxo-2, 3, 4,5-tetrahydro-1H-pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylates via one-pot three component condensation pathway is established via microwave irradiation using varied benzaldehyde derivatives, methylcyanoacetate and thio-barbituric acid in water as a green solvent. A variety of functionalized substrates were found to react under this methodology due to its easy operability and offers several advantages like, high yields (78–94%), short reaction time (3–6min), safety and environment friendly without used any catalyst. The synthesized compounds (4a–4k) showed comparatively good in vitro antimicrobial and antifungal activities against different strains. The Compounds 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d 4e and 4f showed maximum antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus (gram-positive bacteria), Escherichia coli, Klebshiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram-negative bacteria). The synthesized compound 4f showed maximum antifungal activity against Aspergillus Niger and Penicillium chrysogenum strains. Streptomycin is used as standard for bacterial studies and Mycostatin as standards for fungal studies. Structure of all newly synthesized products was characterized on the basis of IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral analysis.

Simultaneous Production of Antifungal and Keratinolytic Activities by Feather-Degrading Bacillus subtilis S8

Bacillus subtilis S8 is a novel feather-degrading bacterium with keratinolytic and antifungal activities. Strain S8 produced antifungal activity at pH 4.5–9.5 and 15–40 °C. In improved medium containing glycerol, maximum antifungal activity was 180 ± 3 AU/ml, which was 1.9-fold higher than in basal medium. Furthermore, strain S8 grown in improved medium produced keratinolytic activity (33.8 ± 1.1 U/ml). When strain S8 was cultured in improved medium containing feathers, antifungal activity decreased to 115 ± 2 AU/ml, whereas keratinolytic activity increased to 41.4 ± 2.4 U/ml, indicating the co-production of keratinolytic and antifungal activities by strain S8. Strain S8 exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum against several pathogens. These results suggest that strain S8 is a potential candidate for the development of biocontrol agent and that it could be used to improve the nutritional value of feather waste.

Benzofurazan derivatives as antifungal agents against phytopathogenic fungi

A series of benzofurazan derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their biological activities against four important phytopathogenic fungi, namely, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Fusarium graminearum and Phytophthora capsici, using the mycelium growth inhibition method. The structures of these compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. N-(3-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)-7-nitrobenzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazol-4-amine (A3) displayed the maximum antifungal activity against R. solani (IC50 = 1.91 μg/mL), which is close to that of the positive control Carbendazim (IC50 = 1.42 μg/mL). For other benzofurazan derivatives with nitro group at R4 position (A series), 9 out of 30 compounds exhibited high antifungal effect against strain R. solani, with IC50 values less than 5 μg/mL. Most of the derivatives with substituents at R2 and R3 positions (B series) displayed moderate growth inhibition against S. sclerotiorum (IC50 < 25 μg/mL). Also, several benzofuran derivatives with nitro group at R4 position and another conjugated aromatic ring at the R1 position of the phenyl ring displayed high antifungal capability against strain R. solani. Compounds with substituents at R2 and R3 position had moderate efficacy against strain S. sclerotiorum.

Synthesis of 2,5-Disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole Analogs as Novel Anticancer and Antimicrobial Agents

A novel series of 2,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole analogs (4a-j) was synthesized starting from 2-aminopyrimidine. A computational study was carried out for the molecular properties prediction and none of the compounds violated Lipinski “Rule of 5”. The structures of the compounds were confirmed on the basis of their spectral data and the purity of the compounds was checked by elemental analysis. Some of the compounds were screened for in vitro anticancer activity as per National Cancer Institute (NCI US) Protocol on leukemia, melanoma, lung, colon, CNS, ovarian, renal and prostate and breast cancer cell lines. N-{[5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]methyl}pyrimidin-2- amine (4a) showed maximum activity with growth percent of 61.19 (UO-31; Renal cancer) and 76.82 (MCF; Brest Cancer). The antibacterial and antifungal activities were evaluated as per the standard protocol reported elsewhere. N-{[5-(4- aminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]methyl}pyrimidin-2-amine (4e) showed maximum antibacterial activity among the series, comparable to the standard drug ciprofloxacin with MIC ranging from 4-8 µg/mL while N-{[5-(3,4- dimethoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]methyl}pyrimidin-2-amine (4g) showed maximum antifungal activity among the series, less active than the standard drug fluconazole with MIC 4 µg/mL. Keywords: Anticancer, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Molecular properties prediction, Oxadiazole, Pyrimidine.

Antibacterial and Antifungal Potentiality of Leaf Extract of &lt;i&gt;Phyllanthus &lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fraternus&lt;/i&gt; Webster: An Ethnomedicinal Plant

<i>Phyllanthus fraternus</i> Webster is a medicinally very useful plant species used by tribal of Gujarat, India to cure certain diseases like asthama, cough, diarrohea and scabies. Methanolic and ethanolic leaf extracts of the plant leaf were evaluated against eleven clinically important bacterial strains such as <i>E. coli, B. megaterium, B. cereus, B. subtilis, C. glutamicum, S. aureus, S. typhi, S. typhi A, S. typhi B, P. aeruginosa </i>and <i>P. vulgaris</i> and one fungal strain namely <i>A. niger</i> by disc diffusion method. Result showed maximum antibacterial activities against <i>C. glutamicum</i> with zone of inhibition of 40 mm and minimum against <i>S. typhi A</i> with zone of inhibition of 15 mm in methanol extract. In ethanol extract maximum antibacterial activities were reported in<i> Bacillus cereus </i>with zone of inhibition of 21 mm and minimum against <i>Salmonella typhi A </i>(10 mm).<i> </i>The maximum antifungal activity was noted against <i>A. niger</i> (40 mm). Our preliminary phytochemical analysis of leaf extract using Methanol as solvent confirmed the presence of alkaloids, tannin, saponin, terpenoid and steroids. This indicates that antimicrobial activities may be due to presence of secondary metabolites. Hence, the plant can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals research activities.

Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of Various Solvent Extracts of &lt;i&gt;Feronia elephantum&lt;/i&gt; Correa (&lt;i&gt;Rutaceae&lt;/i&gt;)

Medicinal plants play an important role for health care. Medicinal plants have ability to cure both infectious and non infectious diseases. According to an estimate about 25 % of medicines are derived from plants. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of Feronia elephantum Correa by using Agar well diffusion assay. The fungal strains used in this research work were Aspergillus niger, Penicillium exspansum, Candida albicans and Fusarium oxysporum. The length of inhibition zone was measured in millimetres. The results were referenced against Glucanazole antifungal agent. Methanolic fruit extract showed maximum antifungal activity against most of the strains where as moderate antifungal potential was shown by leaf extract in aqueous extract.