ORIGINAL ARTICLEIn vitro screening and evaluation of some Indian medicinal plants for their potential to inhibit Jack bean and bacterial ureases causing urinary infections Sheema Bai, Pooja Bharti, Leena Seasotiya, Anupma Malik, and Sunita Dalal Department of Biotechnology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India Abstract Context: Bacterial ureases play an important role in pathogenesis of urinary infections. Selection of plants was done on the basis of their uses by the local people for the treatment of various bacterial and urinary infections. Objective: Our investigation screens and evaluates 15 Indian medicinal plants for their possible urease inhibitory activity as well as their ability to inhibit bacteria causing urinary infections. Materials and methods: Plant extracts in three different solvents (methanol, aqueous, and cow urine) were screened for their effect on Jack-bean urease using the phenol-hypochlorite method. Subsequently, seven bacterial strains were screened for their ability to release urease and further antimicrobial-linked urease inhibition activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of the tested extracts were evaluated by the agar well diffusion and microdilution method, respectively. Results: Five plants out of 15 crude extracts revealed good urease inhibitory activity (!20% at 1 mg/ml conc.) and IC 50 values for these extracts ranged from 2.77 to 0.70 mg/ml. Further testing of these extracts on urease-producing bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus NCDC 109, S. aureus MTCC 3160, Proteus vulgaris MTCC 426, Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 4030, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 7453) showed good anti-urease potency with an MIC ranging from 500 to 7.3 mg/ml. Discussion and conclusion: The results of screening as well as susceptibility assay clearly revealed a strong urease inhibitory effect of Acacia nilotica L. (Fabaceae), Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (Phyllanthaceae), Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), Rosa indica L. (Rosaceae), and Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae). Our findings may help to explain the beneficial effect of these plants against infections associated with the urease enzyme.
The antioxidant activity, phenolic contents and phytochemical profile of acetone, methanol, water and ethyl acetate extracts of the stem bark of B. monosperma were investigated. Extracts showed highest antioxidant activity at 100 μg ml −1 with application of different assays: 2 -2 diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging (83.5% and 78.1%), reducing power (1.85 and 1.78), deoxyribose degradation site-specific (65.5% and 61.5%) and non-site-specific (67.1% and 66.5%) and chelating power (63.4% and 58.9%) in decreasing and increasing polarity of acetone extracts, respectively. However, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) showed scavenging of O 2 • radicals by 56.4% and 53.1% in decreasing and increasing polarity methanol extracts, respectively. Similarly, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)/spin-trapping exhibited highest radical scavenging activity with acetone extracts (12.6 mg g −1 Trolox). The results pointed to the significant antioxidant activities in acetone and methanol extracts. In most cases, the extracts obtained through decreasing polarity showed higher antioxidant activity. The phenolic content exhibited a strong association (r 2 > 0.9) with antioxidant activity. These results suggest that bark of B. monosperma can be a potential source of natural antioxidants.
The search for sources of new antioxidants of natural origin derived from plants is very important in the wake of decreasing resistance of human beings to various diseases. In the present study, antioxidant activity, phenolic contents and phytochemical profile of various extracts of Ficus bengalensis were investigated and discussed. Extracts (100 μg/ml) showed highest inhibitory potential with application of different methodologies: DPPH• scavenging (76.6 % and 67.6 %), deoxyribose degradation non-site-specific (67.4 % and 66.2 %), chelating power (56.5 % and 57.5 %) and NBT scavenging (55.4 % and 59.6 %) in decreasing and increasing polarity of methanol extracts, respectively. However, reducing power (1.72 and 1.28) and deoxyribose degradation site-specific (55.1 % and 57.7 %) assay exhibited their maximum activity in acetone extracts of increasing and decreasing solvent polarity, respectively. Similarly, EPR/spin-trapping exhibited 10.9 mg Trolox g -1 radical scavenging capacity with acetone extracts (increasing polarity). The differences in antioxidant activity of extracts are attributed to the presence of various phytochemicals. The IC 50 values of different extracts were also calculated and presented in the results. This is perhaps the first report of potential utilization of prop roots of F. bengalensis as a source of natural antioxidants.
Aims:The study was aimed to evaluate the antibacterial, synergistic and β-lactamase inhibitory potential of O. indicum against ampicillin resistant and Extended Spectrum βlactamase (ESBL) producing bacterial strains. Methods: Bacterial strains were screened for ampicillin resistance and ESBL production by disk diffusion method and modified double disc synergy test respectively. Antibacterial and synergistic activities of O. indicum methanol extract and ethyl acetate sub fraction of methanol extract were explored by agar well diffusion method and Checkerboard method
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