ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF TUBER PART OF THE TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL CLIMBER, SOLENA AMPLEXICAULIS (LAM.) GANDHI. AGAINST CERTAIN HUMAN

The present study was made to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of Solena amplexicaulis tuber extracts [hexane, benzene, chloroform, methanol and water] against 15 bacterial and 9 fungal species and to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for its methanolic extract against the above mentioned human pathogens. In vitro antimicrobial activity was determined by using agar disc diffusion technique and MIC was determined by using broth dilution method against certain human pathogen. The results of the study revealed that the chloroform extract showed highest degree of antimicrobial activity against all the microbes tested than the other extracts. The MIC exhibited by methanolic tuber extract against the tested organisms was ranging between 300 and 600μg/mL for bacterial species and between 300 and 500μg/mL for fungal species. S. amplexicaulis tuber extracts especially chloroform extract inhibits the growth of all human pathogens. Key Words: Antimicrobial activity, Solena amplexicaulis, MIC, chloroform extract.