Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of methanolic root extract of Tabernaemontana alternifolia L

Objective: The infectious diseases caused by bacteria are a major problem and most of them are resistant to the present antibiotics. Also the free radicals act on structural and functional architecture of the cell in turn lead to cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the cell. In this regard plants would have molecules alternative to antibiotics with higher safety, efficiency and will play a key role in maintaining human health. Methods: In this study antimicrobial activity of methanolic crude extract of Tabernaemontana alternifolia root extract was determined by an agar gel diffusion method against Bacillus flexus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus aureus and E. coli bacteria, Aspergillus terreus and Scopulariopsis sp. fungi. Antioxidant potential of root extract was determined by ABTS assay and DPPH method. Results: The methanolic root extracts of T. alternifolia posses significant antibacterial activity and reducing power. The significant inhibition was observed at 250, 500, 750, 1000μg/ml for Bacillus flexus, Proteus aureus bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus was inhibited at 1000μg/ml concentration of the plant extracts. Crude extract inhibited DPPH with IC50 value 250 μg/ml and ABTS with IC50 value 600 μg/ml. No antifungal activity was observed. Conclusion: The overall result can conclude that T. alternifolia root posses marked antibacterial activity and anti oxidant activity at lower concentration of plant extract. © 2015, International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science. All rights reserved.