A Study on Antimicrobial Activity of Bacopa monnieri Linn. Aerial Parts

Abstract

Objective: To study the antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Bacopa monnieri Linn. Materials and methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract was performed by broth dilution method and the zone of inhibition was studied by agar disc diffusion method at concentrations of 2, 5 and 10 mg/ml in DMSO. Ciprofloxacin (5 μg/ml) and Cotrimazole (25 μg/ml) were used as reference controls for the antibacterial and antifungal studies respectively. Results: The results of MIC study revealed the antimicrobial activity of the extract against the tested strains of microorganisms between concentration ranges of 50 and 400 μg/ml. The results of zone of inhibition study revealed concentration dependant nature of the extract with better effectiveness against gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria. Conclusion: The present study indicates the potential usefulness of B. monnieri aerial parts in the treatment of various pathogenic diseases as mentioned in the Ayurvedic literature.