STANDARDIZATION, FORMULATION & ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CASSIA TORA

Incidence of fungal infections is increasing at an alarming rate, presenting an enormous challenge to healthcare professionals. Despite advances in preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions, the invasive fungal infection causes significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. An effective alternative to conventional synthetic antifungal agents can be the use of medicines from natural sources for treatment of fungal infections. The present study is based on a comparative evaluation of preliminary phytochemical screening and in-vitro antimicrobial activity of petroleum ether and ethanolic extracts of Cassia tora seeds and leaves. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of carbohydrates in all four extracts while anthraquinones were found in ethanolic extract of leaves and seeds. The in-vitro antimicrobial assay was performed by agar well diffusion method. Each of the extracts was screened for antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Ethanolic extract of leaves showed significant antimicrobial activity. The MIC of ethanolic extract of leaves was found to be 100 mg/ml, 75 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml against Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli respectively. Microspheres were prepared as a topical formulation using an ethanolic extract of leaves and evaluated. Particle size, entrapment efficiency of the optimized batch was found to be 65.34 µm and 82.91% respectively. In-vitro diffusion studies resulted in the sustained release of the developed formulation as compared to the marketed topical formulation.