Bioprospecting medicinal plant <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Aerva lanata</i> Juss. ex Schult.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> </i>flowers for potential antimicrobial activity against clinical and fish-borne pathogens<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">

Abstract

306-311Multidrug resistant microorganisms are increasing these days from medical and aquaculture backgrounds. In present investigation chloroform extract of the flowers of the medicinal plant Aerva lanata Juss. ex Schult. was evaluated for antimicrobial activity against both the clinical and fish-borne microorganisms. The antimicrobial activity was found to be maximum against <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Aeromonas hydrophila, Vibrio alginolyticus and also against E. coli with the inhibition zone of about (23.33<span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-GB">± 0.33, 23.33±0.33 &amp; 25.67<span style="font-family:Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-GB">±0.33), respectively for the above pathogens. The minimum level of antimicrobial activity was found against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Plesiomonas shigelloides, Vibrio cholerae and also against Salmonella paratyphi with the inhibition zone of about 14.33<span style="font-family:Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-GB">±0.33, 15.33<span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-GB">±0.33, 16.33±0.33 and 14.00<span style="font-family:Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-GB">±0.58, respectively for the above pathogens when assayed with 100 µL of chloroform extract of A. lanata flower (100 µL/mL w/v). Moderate antimicrobial activity was found against the fish-borne pathogens Vibrio mimicus and Vibrio harveyi. The results of the phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids and xantho proteins. </span