Qualitative Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Properties of Momordica charantia Methanolic Extract Against Selected Bacterial Strains

Abstract

Introduction: The persistent development of bacterial resistance against currently available antibacterial drugs necessitates the search for new antimicrobial agents. The major part of this research is to overcome drug resistance in infectious agents by utilizing medicinal plants as the main natural source in the production of new pharmaceuticals. As 25-50% of contemporary medications are derived from plants, this sparked renewed interest in therapeutic plants. Due to the largely diverse phytochemical compounds found in crude extracts of medicinal plants, they could be used as an alternative source of antimicrobial agents. This study aims to screen the phytochemical compounds and evaluate the antibacterial effect of Momordica charantia fruit extract, obtained by maceration in 100% absolute methanol. Method: Disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods were performed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of M. charantia fruit extract on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhimurium. Results: The phytochemical tests conducted revealed that the fruit extracts tested positive for alkaloids, phenols, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. The methanolic extract of M. charantia fruit demonstrated antibacterial activity against S. aureus with a mean inhibition zone of (17mm±0.82), but not against E. coli or S. typhimurium. For S. aureus, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were 125mg/ml and 500mg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the current study offers insight into the therapeutic potential of M. charantia where the methanolic fruit extract of the fruit has been shown to have antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and has the potential to be exploited as an antimicrobial agent.