phytosomes 7

International Journal of Applied Research in Natural Products Vol. 1(3), pp. 20-28, Sep/Oct 2008 Available online http://www.healthy-synergies.com 2008 Healthy Synergies Publications

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Original Article Antibacterial activity of antipsoriatic herbs: Cassia tora, Momordica charantia and Calendula officinalis Roopashree TS*1, Raman Dang 1, Shobha Rani RH1, Narendra C2 1Department Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy, Lalbagh main road, Hosur road, Bangalore, India. 2Visveswarapura Institute of Pharmaceutical sciences, Bangalore, India. Summary: In view of increasing resistance to existing antimicrobial agents, herbal drugs are being looked as very importance source for discovery of new agents for treating various ailments related to bacterial infections. Cassia tora, Calendula officinalis and Momordica charantia are well known plants in Asia including India which posses wide range of pharmacological activities. These drugs have been used in India as folk remedy in the form of decoctions and infusions to treat bacterial infections and also claimed to be an effective against variety of skin conditions like psoriasis, acne, wounds etc. The present investigation was carried out to study the unexplored area of these drugs towards their antibacterial activity with respect to their traditional use as antipsoriatic agents. The herbs were subjected to successive extraction using different solvents and the extracts were subjected to antibacterial evaluation against both gram positive and gram negative organisms by cup plate technique. Among the various extracts, aqueous extracts were found to be more effective against all the bacteria. Staphyllococcus aureus was more susceptible to the aqueous extracts among the tested organisms.

Industrial relevance: The selected herbs have been used traditionally for treating skin diseases like psoriasis, for which there is no complete cure till date. Though exact mechanism of these herbs for their effectiveness in psoriasis is not understood, according to American academy of dermatology antibacterial therapy could also be used for treating psoriasis. In view of this study of antibacterial activity was carried out. Among the various extracts, aqueous extracts exhibited highest activity especially against S. aureus which has been one of the organisms which aggravate conditions like psoriasis. As the aqueous extracts have shown excellent activity, these extracts could be formulated individually or in combination as external or internal dosage forms. In this regard there is great scope for developing new herbal formulation for treating psoriasis using the above said herbal combination. Further scope exists for research with formulation and development, pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy in patients (clinical trial). This kind of study could generate more such ideas for re-inventing and using herbs in combination to treat many more diseases.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Cassia tora, Calendula officinalis, extraction, Momordica charantia, Introduction Traditional medicines hold a great promice as source of easily available effective therapy for skin diseases to the

people, particularly in tropical developing counties, including India. It is in this context that the people use several plant derived preparations to cure skin diseases (Satyavati,1990). Cassia tora, (Family: Cesalpinaceae), Calendula officinalis (Family: Compositae) and Momordica charantia (Family: Cucurbitaceae) are some of the very common Indian herbs having various medicinal properties for the treatment of different kind of disease, viz. antifungal, wound healing and antidiabetic agents respectively (Nadkarni, 1982, Brown & Dattner, 1998, Grover & Yadav, 2004 and Christopher, 2005) . These herbs have been reported for their usefulness in the form of decoctions, infusions and tinctures in traditional system of medicines for treating skin diseases like psoriasis, leprosy etc (Horvath & Ferenc, 1992, Zahra et al., 2000, Cordova et al., 2002 and Harrison & Dorothy, 2003).

Psoriasis is said to be an immune based skin disorder, but exact cause and pathophysiology of the disease is not clearly understood, however it is said to be a chronic, genetically influenced, immunological based inflammatory disease of the skin. (Kenneth 1999). Treatment of psoriasis depends on the type, location and the extent of disease but there is no complete cure for the disease. Therapeutic agents that either modulate the immune system or normalize the differentiation program of psoriatic keratinocytes are suggested for treating psoriasis which includes topical steroids, retinoids and immunomodulatory agents. (Daniel 1999)

Apart from existing therapies literature survey reveals that antibacterial therapy could be included for treating psoriasis (Guidelines of care for Psoriasis, 1991) and many of the antibacterial agents, including those obtained from the herbal source are being used successfully for treating psoriasis. Although psoriasis is not caused by bacterial infection, Staphylococcus aureus has been found to be the causative organism for various infections and is known to aggravate skin conditions like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, erythroderma etc (Tomi et al., 2005). Hence, the present investigation was

*Corresponding Author: Tel: +1-91-80-9945451282 E-mail: [email protected] Accepted 27 May 2008

Antibacterial activity of herbs

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carried out to evaluate and compare the antibacterial activity of Cassia tora, Momordica charantia seeds and flowers of Calendula officinalis extracted using different solvents and their aqueous extracts against Staphyllococcus aureus. Apart from being used as anti-psoriatic drugs these herbs have been used also as antibacterial agents, hence the activity was also carried out against other organisms such as Bacillus subtilis Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.

Materials and Methods Seeds of Cassia tora and Momordica charantia were obtained from Natural Remedies, Bangalore, India and the dried

flowers of Calendula officinalis was procured from Himalaya herb stores, Saharanpur, India and the crude drugs were authenticated in Regional Research Institute, Bangalore, India and were used for the present study.

Chemicals and Reagents: De-mineralized water (Strides Arco Labs, Bangalore, India), All the solvents used were of AR grade from Rankem, Nutrient agar (Hi media), Distilled water (Millipore).

Apparatus: Soxhlet apparatus (Borosil), Rotary flash evaporator buchi type manufactured by Positive Infotech, Vacuum oven manufactured S.D (India corporation), Copper sieve of mesh size of #10.

Extraction of Cassia tora, Momordica charantia and Calendula officinalis: Extraction was carried out at room temperature under normal conditions. Dried seeds of Cassia tora, Momordica charantia and dried flowers of Calendula officinalis were powdered and passed through sieve #10. 30 gms of the sieved powder was weighed accurately and subjected to extraction in a soxhlet apparatus at room temperature using pet ether, methanol, ethanol and water successively. Before extraction with the next solvent the powder was air dried to remove the adhering solvent. The extract obtained was filtered, concentrated in rotary flash evaporator and dried in a vacuum oven, percentage yield of each extract was calculated and the dried extract was stored in air tight containers for further studies (Table-1).

Phytochemical evaluation: Phytochemical examinations were carried out for all the extracts as per the standard methods. (Brain & Turner 1975, Evans 1996) (Table-2)

Detection of alkaloids: Extracts were dissolved individually in dilute Hydrochloric acid and filtered. The filtrates were used to test for the presence of alkaloids.

a) Mayers Test: Filtrates were treated with Mayers reagent (Potassium Mercuric iodide). Formation of a yellow cream precipitate indicates the presence of Alkaloids.

b) Wagners test:Filtrates were treated with Wagners reagent (Iodine in potassium iodide). Formation of brown/reddish brown precipitate indicates the presence of alkaloids.

c) Dragendroffs test: Filtrates were treated with Dragendroffs reagent (solution of potassium bismuth iodide). Formation of red precipitate indicates the presence of alkaloids.

d) Hagers test: Filtrates were treated with Hagers reagent (saturated picric acid solution). Formation of yellow colored precipitate indicates the presence of alkaloids.

Detection of carbohydrates: Extracts were dissolved individually in 5 ml distilled water and filtered. The filtrates were used to test for the presence of carbohydrates.

a) Molischs Test: Filtrates were treated with 2 drops of alcoholic -naphthol solution in a test tube and 2 ml of Conc. Sulphuric acid was added carefully along the sides of the test tube. Formation of violet ring at the junction indicates the presence of Carbohydrates.

b) Benedicts test: Filtrates were treated with Benedicts reagent and heated on water bath. Formation of orange red precipitate indicates the presence of reducing sugars.

c) Fehlings test: Filtrates were hydrolysed with dil. HCl, neutralized with alkali and heated with Fehlings A & B solutions. Formation of red precipitate indicates the presence of reducing sugars.

Detection of glycosides: Extracts were hydrolysed with dil. HCl, and then subjected to test for glycosides. a) Modified Borntragers Test: Extracts were treated with Ferric Chloride solution and immersed in boiling water

for about 5 minutes. The mixture was cooled and shaken with an equal volume of benzene. The benzene layer was separated and treated with ammonia solution. Formation of rose-pink colour in the ammoniacal layer indicates the presence of anthranol glycosides.

b) Legals test: Extracts were treated with sodium nitroprusside in pyridine and methanolic alkali. Formation of pink to blood red colour indicates the presence of cardiac glycosides.

Detection of saponins a) Froth Test: Extracts were diluted with distilled water to 20ml and this was shaken in a graduated cylinder for 15

minutes. Formation of 1 cm layer of foam indicates the presence of saponins. b) Foam test: Small amount of extract was shaken with little quantity of water. If foam produced persists for ten

minutes it indicates the presence of saponins. Detection of phytosterols

a) Salkowskis Test: Extracts were treated with chloroform and filtered. The filtrates were treated with few drops of Conc. Sulphuric acid, shaken and allowed to stand.

b) Appearance of golden yellow colour indicates the presence of triterpenes. c) Libermann Burchards test: Extracts were treated with chloroform and filtered. The filtrates were treated with

few drops of acetic anhydride, boiled and cooled. Conc. Sulphuric acid was added carefully along the sides of the test tube.

d) Formation of brown ring at the junction indicates the presence of phytosterols. e) Tshugajeu test : Extracts were treated with chloroform and filtered. Excess of acetyl chloride and a pinch of

Zinc Chloride was added, kept aside for some time till the reaction was complete and then warmed on water bath. Appearance of eosin red colour indicates the presence of triterpenes.

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Detection of fixed oils & fats a) Stain Test: Small quantities of extracts were pressed between two filter papers. b) An oily stain on filter paper indicates the presence of fixed oil.

Detection of resins a) Acetone-water Test: Extracts were treated with acetone. Small amount of water was added and shaken.

Appearance of turbidity indicates the presence of resins. Detection of phenols.

a) Ferric Chloride Test: Extracts were treated with few drops of ferric chloride solution. Formation of bluish black colour indicates the presence of phenols.

Detection of tannins a) Gelatin Test: To the extract, 1% gelatin solution containing sodium chloride was added. Formation of white

precipitate indicates the presence of tannins. Detection of flavonoids

a) Alkaline Reagent Test :Extracts were treated with few drops of sodium hydroxide solution. Formation of intense yellow colour, which becomes colourless on addition of dilute acid, indicates the presence of flavonoids.

c) Lead acetate Test : Extracts were treated with few drops of lead acetate solution. d) Formation of yellow colour precipitate indicates the presence of flavonoids. e) Shinoda Test: To the alcoholic solution of extracts, a few fragments of magnesium ribbon and Conc.HCl was

added. Appearance of magenta colour after few minutes indicates presence of flavonoids. f) Zinc hydrochloric acid reduction Test: To the alcoholic solution of extracts, a pinch of Zinc dust and Conc.HCl

was added. Appearance of magenta colour after few minutes indicates presence of flavonoids. Detection of proteins and aminoacids

a) Xanthoproteic Test: The extracts were treated with few drops of concentrated Nitric acid solution. Formation of yellow colour indicates the presence of proteins.

b) Ninhydrin test: To the extract, 0.25% ninhydrin reagent was added and boiled for few minutes. Formation of blue colour indicates the presence of amino acid.

c) Biuret Test: The extracts were treated with 1 ml of 10% sodium hydroxide solution and heated. To this a drop of 0.7% copper sulphate solution was added. Formation of purplish violet colour indicates the presence of proteins.

Detection of diterpenes a) Copper acetate Test: Extracts were dissolved in water and treated with few drops of copper acetate solution.

Formation of emerald green colour indicates the presence of diterpenes. b) Determination of Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): Minimum inhibitory concentrations for pet ether,

methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of Cassia tora, Momordica charantia and Calendula officinalis was performed by broth dilution method (Cruckshank 1968) at concentrations ranging from 100g/ml to 100mg/ml in di-methyl sulphoxide (DMSO) against the microorganisms used for the study (Table-3).

Determination of zone of inhibition: Preparation of the extracts: 200 mgs of petroleum ether, methanol, ethanol and water extracts of Cassia tora, Momordica charantia seeds and Calendula officinalis flower were screened for their antibacterial activity. All the extracts were dissolved in 10 ml of DMSO to get the concentration of 20mg/ml. Evaluation of the activity was carried out by cup-plate technique using nutrient agar medium and the antibacterial activity was measured in terms of zone of inhibition. Micro-organisms used:

Gram- Positive: Staphyllococcus aureus (ATCC 2267), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633). Gram-Negative: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 25619) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536) were procured from

institute of microbial technology, Chandigarh, India. Preparation of Inoculums: Suspension of organism was prepared as per McFarland nephelometer standard (Ellen &

Sydney 1990 ). A 24 hour old culture was used for the preparation of bacterial suspension. Suspension of organism was made in a sterile isotonic solution of sodium chloride (0.9% w/v) and the turbidity was adjusted such that it contained approximately 1.5X 10 8 cells/ml. It was obtained by adjusting the optical density of the bacterial suspension to that of a solution of 0.05ml of 1.175% of barium chloride and 9.95 ml of 1% sulphuric acid.

Procedure: The medium was prepared by dissolving all the ingredients in distilled water and subjected to sterilization in an autoclave at1210C for 15 minutes. The Petri plates were washed thoroughly and sterilized in hot air oven at 1600C for 1 hours. 30 ml of sterile molten agar medium was seeded by organisms (about 2 ml according to Mc Farlands standard), in semi hot conditions (400C) was poured aseptically in sterile Petri plate and allowed to solidify at room temperature. Bores were made on the medium using sterile borer and 0.1 ml of the extracts were added to respective bore and 0.1ml of the standard Streptomycin at a concentration of 100 g / ml was taken as standard. The Petri plates seeded with organisms, containing extracts and the standard were kept in refrigerator at 40C for 1 hour to facilitate the diffusion of the extracts and the standard in to the media. After diffusion the Petri plates were incubated at 37 10C for 24 hours in a BOD incubator and zone of inhibition was observed and measured using a scale. The results of the antibacterial activity of Calendula officinalis Cassia tora and Momordica charantia are tabulated in Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5 respectively.


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Results and Discussion Plants such as Calendula officinalis, Cassia tora and Momordica charantia are well known herbs used ayuverdic

traditional medicine for their effectiveness against wide range of diseases including skin infections due to the advantage of the diversity of secondary metabolites responsible for their antibacterial activity. Moreover, the number of immuno compromised patients is on the increase due to great progress in the field of intensive care, organ transplantation and AIDS. HIV-positive patients have developed resistance to treatment with existing antibiotics (Silver & Bostian, 1993). Despite the existence of potent antibacterial agents, the appearance of resistant or multi-resistant strains imposes the need for a permanent search and development of new drugs (Bastert, 2001). Calendula has been widely used as tincture for healing wounds and treating burns in homeopathy extensively (Rao et al., 1991 and Samochowiec, 1983). The aqueous decoctions are reported to be antibacterial agents in traditional system of medicine (May & Willuhn, 1978).

Table 1. Percentage yield of various extracts of Calendula officinalis, Cassia tora and Momordica charantia

Type of extract Percentage yield*(%) Calendula officinalis

Cassia tora Momordica charantia

Pet ether 10.520.68 22.840.66 18.690.49Methanol 18.690.56 16.580.85 20.490.85 Ethanol 19.560.49 19.760.54 21.590.68 Aqueous 25.820.58 29.090.46 26.42.56

*Values are in terms of MeanSEM of results done in duplicate.

Phytochemical investigation of pet ether, methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of all the three drugs reveled differences in their phytoconstituents. Extracts of the same drug obtained using different solvents also exhibited differences in their constituents. Momordica charantia extracts showed presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, triterpenes, tannins, flavanoids and proteins. Calendula officinalis exhibited presence of glycosides, saponins, triterpenes, diterpenes and flavanoids in its extract. Phytochemical compounds such as glycosides, tannins, flavonoids and saponins were detected in Cassia tora. Percentage yield and the type of phyto-constituents of pet ether, methanolic, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of all the three herbs were not similar, indicating the variation in the type and quantity of phytoconstituents. (Table-2) Table 2. Phytoconstituents present in different extracts of Calendula officinalis, Cassia tora and Momordica charantia

Phyto

constituents

Calendula

officinalis

Cassia tora Momordica charantia

P.E Met Eth Aq P.E Met Eth Aq P.E Met Eth Aq

Alkaloids - - - - - - - - + + + +

Carbohy-

drates

- + - + + - + + + + + +

Glycosides - + + + + + + + - + + -

Saponins - + + + + - + + + - - +

Triterpenes + - + + + - + + - + - -

Fats & Oil + - - - + - + - - - - -

Resins - - - - - - - - - - - -

Phenols - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tannins - - - - - - - - + + + +

Flavanoids - + + + - - - + + - - -

Proteins - - - - - - - - + + + +

Diterpenes - + + + - - - - - - - -

Herbal drugs contain unique constituents which differs from one herb to another, hence the type and extent of their

medicinal property also differs. (Le G A. 1989 and Evans WC. 1996) Solubility of each constituent in an herb is very specific to different solvents used in the extraction process. Hence, chemical nature as well as the pharmacological activity of herbal extracts obtained using same herb with different solvents will be different. (Kirtikar & Basu 1999)

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Minimum inhibitory concentrations of different extracts against the tested organisms are as follows: Momordica charantia extracts exhibited MIC ranging from 50 g/ml to 32 mg/ml (Table-3) against the tested organisms, except ethanolic extract which did not inhibit the growth of B. subtilis and E. coli at any of the concentrations used in the study.

In case of Calendula officinalis, ethanolic and aqueous extracts inhibited the growth of the bacteria used in the study at concentrations ranging from 125g/ml to 64mg/ml. Methanolic extract inhibited the growth of both S. aureus and E. coli at 64mg/ml; where as none of the bacteria were inhibited by the petroleum ether extracts of Calendula officinalis at any of the concentrations tested. Aqueous extract of Cassia tora inhibited S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and E. coli at concentrations of 100g/ml, 200g/ml and 250g/ml respectively but did not inhibit the growth of B. subtilis at any of the concentrations tested. Ethanolic extract inhibited only B. subtilis, where as it was not effective against the other bacteria tested. Methanolic extract was effective against two of the tested organisms i.e., S. aureus and E. coli both at the concentration of 64mg/ml. Pet ether did not inhibit the growth of any of the bacteria.

Table 3. Minimum inhibitory concentration of various extracts of Calendula officinalis, Cassia tora and Momordica charantia

_ = No inhibition

As per the antimicrobial investigations, aqueous extract of Calendula officinalis exhibited highest antibacterial activity against all the bacteria tested. S. aureus was found to be more susceptible as compared to other bacteria. Pet ether, methanolic and ethanolic extracts did not show any inhibition of all the bacteria tested (Table-4 and Fig.1).

Among the various extracts of Cassia tora, aqueous extracts exhibited high antibacterial activity in terms of zone of inhibition on all the organisms except B. subtilis. S. aureus was the most susceptible among the organisms tested. (Table-5 and Fig.2). In case of Momordica charantia pet ether as well as aqueous extracts exhibited antibacterial activity while the antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts was higher than that of pet ether extracts. S. aureus was the most susceptible organism in case of both pet ether and aqueous extract (Table-6 and Fig.3)

These results indicate that the different extracts of the three herbs under study exhibit antibacterial activity and among the various extracts, aqueous extracts have shown better activity as compared to other extracts with respect to similar bacteria. This indicates that aqueous extracts are better as compared to other extracts. Literature also reveals the use of aqueous paste of seeds of Cassia tora, Momordica charantia seed juice (prepared in water) and Calendula flower water decoctions in various skin conditions associated with bacterial infections. (Nadkarni, 1982, Brown & Dattner, 1998, Grover & Yadav, 2004 and Christopher, 2005) S. aureus being the most susceptible organism, these drug could be more effective in infections related to S. aureus rather than other bacterial infections (Patel & Patel, 1957 and Uday CD, 1877).

Table 4 . Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Calendula officinalis

*Values are in terms of Mean SEM of results done in triplicate.

Microorganisms Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)

Cassia tora Calendula officinalis Momordica charantia

P.E

Met

(mg/ml)

Eth

(mg/ml)

Aq

( g/ml)

P.E

Met

(mg/ml)

Eth

(mg/ml)

Aq

(g/ml)

P.E

Met

(mg/ml)

Eth

(mg/ml)

Aq

(g/ml)

S. aureus _ 64 _ 100 _ 64 32 125 300 32 32 50

B. subtilis _ _ 64 --- _ _ 64 200 400 32 _ 100

P. aeruginosa _ _ _ 200 _ _ 32 250 500 50 150 125

E. coli _ 64 _ 250 _ 64 l 64 300 500 64 _ 150

Microorganism Diameter of zone of Inhibition in mm*

Calendula officinalis extracts Streptomycin

Pet ether Methanol Ethanol Aqueous

Staphyllococcus

aureus

-- -- -- 140.54 280.58

Bacillus subtilis -- -- -- 130.55 230.64

Pseudomonas

aeruginosa

-- -- -- 120.85 250.88

Escherichia coli -- -- -- 110.65 180.68


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2 2 1 1 3 3 5 5 4 4 Staphyllococcus aureus Bacillus subtilis 1 1 3 2 5 4 5 3 4 3 Pseudomonas aeruginosa Escherichia coli

Figure.1. Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Calendula officinalis against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus

subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli.

1.Pet ether extract 2. Ethanolic extract 3.Methanolic extract 4.Aqueus extract 5.Streptomycin

Table 5. Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Cassia tora


Cassia tora extracts Streptomycin


Staphyllococcus

aureus

-- -- -- 150.69 230.56

Bacillus subtilis -- -- -- -- 300.48

Pseudomonas

aeruginosa

-- -- -- 130.54 220.58

Escherichia coli -- -- -- 120.85 190.64


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1 2

2 1 4 5 5 3 3 4 Staphyllococcus aureus Bacillus subtilis 4 2 1 3 5 5 1 4 3 2 Pseudomonas aeruginosa Escherichia coli

Figure.2. Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Cassia tora against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis,

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli.

1.Pet ether extract 2. Ethanolic extract 3.Methanolic extract 4.Aqueus extract 5.Streptomycin

Table 6. Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Momordica charantia


Momordica charantia extracts Streptomycin


Staphyllococcus

aureus

120.52 -- -- 220.64 210.62

Bacillus subtilis 90.62 -- -- 160.56 320.75

Pseudomonas

aeruginosa

80.46 -- 100.62 150.88 250.48

Escherichia coli 80.55 -- -- 140.58 180.65


2 2 3 5 1 3 1 5 5 4 4 Staphyllococcus aureus Bacillus subtilis 1 1 4 5 3 2 2 3 4 Pseudomonas aeruginosa Escherichia coli


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Figure 3. Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Momordica charantia against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus

subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli.

1.Pet ether extract 2. Ethanolic extract 3.Methanolic extract 4. Aqueous extract 5.Streptomycin.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Pet e

ther

Met

hano

l

Etha

nol

Aque

ous

Stre

ptom

ycin

Pet e

ther

Met

hano

l

Etha

nol

Aque

ous

Stre

ptom

ycin

Pet e

ther

Met

hano

l

Etha

nol

Aque

ous

Stre

ptom

ycin

Calendula officinalis Cassia tora Momordica charantia

Dia

met

er o

f zon

e of

Inhi

bitio

n

Staphyllococcusaureus

Bacillus subtilis Pseudomonasaeruginosa

Escherichia coli

Figure 4. Antibacterial activity of different extracts of Calendula officinalis, Cassia tora and Momordica charantia

With growing resistance S. aureus against many of the existing antibacterial agents, especially for treating skin diseases, herbs with their diverse phytoconstituents, new mode of action and pharmacological effect can be highly useful in this regard. As the aqueous extracts of Calendula officinalis, Cassia tora and Momordica charantia exhibited excellent activity especially against S. aureus, hence further work needs to be carried out to establish their safety, actual efficacy and mechanism of action in animals and humans. Conclusion

Aqueous extracts of seeds of Cassia tora and Momordica charantia and flowers of Calendula officinalis exhibited better antibacterial activity as compared to their petroleum ether, methanolic and ethanolic extracts. Among the organisms tested S. aureus was more susceptible to the aqueous extracts of all the three herbs. Further pharmacological and clinical studies are required to understand the mechanism and the actual efficacy of these herbal extracts in treating various infections and skin diseases like psoriasis. Acknowledgements

The author is thankful to Prof. B.G.Shivananda, Principle Al-Ameen college of Pharmacy for providing the required facilities. The author is also thankful to Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), India, for providing monitory grant to carry out the research. References Bastert J. 2001. Current and future approaches to antimycotic treatment in the era of resistant fungi and

immunocompromised hosts. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 17, 8191. Brain KR, Turner TD. 1975. The practical evaluation of phytopharmaceuticals. 2 nd ed. Bristol: Wright

Sciencetechnica. p 81 82. Brown DJ and Dattner AM. 1998. Medical journal article on herbs for common skin conditions. Arch dermatol

134:1401-04. Christopher W. 2005. Plant Review- Momordica charantia L. PhcogMag 1(1):7-8. Cordova CA, Siqueira IR, Netto CA, Yunes RA, Volpato AM, Cechinel Filho V, Curi-Pedrosa R, Creszynski-Pasa TB.

2002. Protective properties of butanolic extract of the Calendula officinalis (marigold)against lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes and action as free radical scavenger. Redox Rep 7: 95-102

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Forsch 28:1-7. Nadkarni KM. 1982. The Indian Materia Medica. 3rd ed., Popular parakashan, Bombay p.238. Patel RP and Patel KC. 1957. Antibactrial activity of Cassia tora and Cassia obovata. Indian J Pharm. 19:70-75. Rao S, Udupa A, Udupa S, Rao P, Rao G, Kulkarni D. 1991. Calendula and hypericum: Two homeopathic drugs

promoting wound healing in rats. Fitoterapia 62:508. Samochowiec L. 1983. Pharmacological study of saponosides from Aralia manshurica rupr. et maxim and Calendula

officinalis L. Herbal Pol 29:151-55. Satyavati GV.1990. In:Farnsworth NR, Wagner H.(Eds) Economic and medicinal plant research, Academic press

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erythroderma, and in healthy control subjects. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 53(1)67-72. Udoy, C D. 1877. The Materia medica of the Hindus: Compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works. Thacker, spink, Bombay

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