ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY FROM BARK EXTRACTS OF PTEROSPERMUM ACERIFOLIUM (L.) WILLD.

Although there are many studies on antimicrobial activities of different plants, there is no report on antibacterial activity of Pterospermum acerifolium (Sterculiaceae). Therefore, a microbiological study was conducted to detect antibacterial activity of P. acerifolium. Successive ethanolic extract of bark of P. acerifolium were fractionated with hexane, butanol, methanol and water. In vitro antibacterial activity was tested by using agar cup and minimum inhibitory concentration method against S. aureus, B. lichenoformis, B. subtilis, E. coli, P. florescence, P. aeruginosa, and S. typhimurium. Although all five extracts showed promising antibacterial activity against test bacterial species, yet maximum activity was observed in butanol extract. S. aureus was the most sensitive strain. MIC values for most of the extracts ranged from 0.312 to 5.0 mg/ml; while the least MBC value was observed at 2.5 mg/ml. Phytochemical analysis exhibited the presence of alkaloids, tannin and phenolic compounds, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroid & sterols and triterpenoids in different extracts. This could justify their use in treatment of microbial infections in man and livestock.