EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT SOLVENT EXTRACTS OF LEAF AND TUBEROUS ROOT OF DECALEPIS NERVOSA (WIGHT 8#x38; ARN.) VENTER

Abstract

In the present investigation, antibacterial activity of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and water
extract of leaf and tuberous root of Decalepis nervosa (Apocynaceae) were examined. The antibacterial activity was
performed by agar well diffusion method using different extracts of selected plant parts. Five bacterial strains such as
Bacillus subtilis, B. coagulans, Citrobacter, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used as test organisms. Among the five
solvents used methanol extract of leaf and tuberous root of D. nervosa showed better inhibition against tested bacteria
followed by ethyl acetate extract. The results of present study supports traditional usage of D. nervosa and also suggest
that methanol leaf and tuberous root extracts possess phytoconstituents with antibacterial activity that can be used as
antibacterial agents in new drug for the therapy of infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens.