EVALUATION OF HEAVY METAL DISTRIBUTION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA, OCIMUM SANCTUM AND PIPER NIGRUM

Abstract

To evaluate the inhibition and the in vitro interaction of the pathogens with the plant extracts, various solvent extracts of Tinospora cordifolia, Ocimum sanctum, Piper nigrum were screened for antimicrobial activity using agar well diffusion method. A synergistic inhibitory activity by the combination of aqueous extracts of the three plants against Salmonella, Shigella and P. aeruginosa was observed. The chloroform extracts in combination also showed maximum inhibition against E. coli but ethanolic extract in equimolar concentration showed maximum inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus. All these plant extracts were tested for heavy metal (HM) content as they are often contaminated during the growth, development and processing. O. sanctum and P. nigrum contained the maximum HM content while T. cordifolia contained less HM. The plants extracts in combination also showed low contamination with heavy metal which is a positive indication for their potential use in combating infections. These results indicate that plant extracts in combinations are less contaminated with heavy metals but they are very potent in fighting emerging pathogens.