Original Articles: 2011 Vol: 3 Issue: 2
Evaluation and distribution of antibacterial potential in the aerial parts of wild Tridax procumbens
Abstract
Antibacterial activity of hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol extracts obtained from the
aerial parts (leaf, flower and stem) of Tridax procumbens was tested against both gram positive
(Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and gram negative (Enterobacter aerogenes) bacteria
using the agar well diffusion method. The susceptibility of the test bacteria varies with the types of
solvents and plant parts used. The flower posses potent antibacterial activity with 20 mm of zone of
inhibition against E. aerogenes in hexane extract whereas the leaf showed antibacterial activity in all the
solvents used. The stem exhibited moderate inhibitory effect on the test bacteria. The potentiality of the
leaf against the test bacteria as evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal
bactericidal concentration (MBC) indicated the presence of more active compounds in methanol than in
hexane extracts. Chloroform extracts was found to be least active, whereas, petroleum ether possessed
moderate effect on the test bacteria. These results may suggest the distribution of antibacterial potential
in different aerial parts of T. procumbens that can be explored further for the isolation and
charachterization of the compound agent in pharmaceutical industries.