IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS EXTRACTS OF EUPHORBIA NIVULEA HAM

Author(s): S. Selvadhas* and S. Natarajan

Abstract: Traditional information possess that the juice of the leaf is used as a purgative, diuretic etc. The paste of the leaf made with neem oil is applied externally in rheumatism. Plant latex is used for treating jaundice, dropsy, enlargement of liver and spleen, and applied to hemorrhoids. Coagulated latex is used for bronchitis. Phytochemical studies indicated that the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts contain a broad spectrum of secondary metabolites like terpenes, flavonoids phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and tannins. Phenol, tannins and flavonoids were predominantly found in ethyl acetate and methanol solvent extracts and petroleum ether and chloroform exhibits phytosterols, fixed oils and terpenoids. In the present study the in-vitro anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Euphorbia nivulea Ham (Euphorbiaceae) was evaluated against various strains of bacteria and fungi. The aerial parts of the plant extracts were tested for the anti-bacterial activity against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Vibrio cholera) bacteria. The anti-fungal potency was tested against Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Monococcus purpura and Candida albicans. The preliminary anti-microbial activities were done by agar well diffusion method. Petroleum ether and chloroform extracts displayed very less anti-microbial activity; whereas ethyl acetate and methanol extracts showed very good anti-microbial activity with widest zone of inhibition which was comparable to standard drug. Hence these two extracts were further tested for their MIC by micro broth dilution method. From the study it was found that ethyl acetate and methanol extracts exhibited remarkable anti-microbial activity against the tested micro-organism.

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