ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ALTERNANTHERA BETTZICKIANA (REGEL) G. NICHOLSON AND ITS PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENTS

The present investigation evaluates preliminary phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of aerial parts of Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) G. nicholson an edible green medicinal herb tested against various Gram positive, Gram negative bacteria and fungi. The plants were evaluated against two Gram positive bacterial species such as Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis; two Gram negative bacterial species such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae; and fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Epidermophyton floccosum and Candida albicans were tested. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed with ethanol, petroleum ether, acetone, chloroform and aqueous extracts of Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) G. nicholson that showed the alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, phenols, flavonoids, diterpenes, tannin, terpenoids, steroid, oxalate, anthocyanin, leucoanthocyanin, Xanthoprotein, coumarin and glycosides in the ethanol extract. The ethanol extract showed higher phytoconstituents when compared to the other extracts. The extracts were compared with standards like Amoxicillin and Ketoconazole for antibacterial and antifungal activity respectively. The extracts showed greatest antimicrobial activity as measured from the zone of inhibition and results were comparable with that of standard drugs against the organism tested. In conclusion, plant extract of A. bettzickiana showed remarkable antimicrobial activity due to the phytochemicals present in them.