ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME PLANT EXTRACTS ALONG WITH ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF POTENT ONES

The in vitro antibacterial activity of 14 methanolic extracts was investigated by disc diffusion method against a gram negative bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Amongst the extracts tested, the extracts of Datura stromonium, Ocimum basilicum, Cymbopogon citratus and Eucalyptus sideroxylon showed significant antibacterial activity against the bacterial pathogen. D. stromonium showed highest antibacterial activity followed by O. basilicum extract. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay was used to determine the antioxidant activity of potent extract. D. stromonium showed the appreciable antioxidant activity. The highest antioxidant activity was observed at 60 mg/ml concentration with a percent inhibition of 71.66 and IC50 value 9.71 mg/ml. Moreover, the radical scavenging activity of extract was lower than that observed for the synthetic antioxidant BHA and BHT. The results provide evidence that the extract of D. stromonium and O. basilicum can be further recommended in the treatment of the infections caused by the bacterial pathogen and D. stromonium is a potential source of natural antioxidants.