Antimicrobial activity and phytochemical analysis of some selected plants against clinical pathogens

Abstract

Plants have been used since ancient times, both as food and medicine, with different plant parts having different antimicrobial potency. This study aimed at assessing the antimicrobial potentials of different metabolites contained in the leaves of Momordica charantia, Nicotiana tabacum, Ocimum gratissimum, and Calotropis procera against clinical isolates. The isolates tested were Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. Selected extracts were analyzed for their phytochemical contents and further with Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The methanol extracts of M. charantia, N. tabacum, and O. gratissimum were effective against the clinical isolates. In contrast, the isolates were resistant to the methanol extract of C. procera and the water extracts of all plants under study. Methanol extracts of M. charantia, N. tabacum, and O. gratissimum contained anthocyanins. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 1-methyl-2-phenylbenzylmidazole, 4-phenyl-pyridopyrimidine in M. charantia, tetradecamethyl cycloheptasiloxane in N. tabacum, and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid in O. gratissimum. It was concluded that leaves of M. charantia, N. tabacum, and O. gratissimum could be explored for pharmaceutical applications.