Antimicrobial Activity of Leaves of Cassia occidentalis. Linn. (Caesalpiniaceae)

Abstract

AIM: To study the antimicrobial activity of leaves of different extracts of Cassia occidentalis. METHODS: The antimicrobial activity of extract of the plant Cassia occidentalis belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae. The plant is a rich source of glycosides, tannins and flavonoids. The petroleum ether (60-800C) ethanolic and aqueous extracts of leaves of the plant were tested for their antimicrobial activity against various microorganisms (gram +ve, gram -ve and fungi) by agar-cup plate method. RESULT: The result indicates that
the ethanolic extracts of leaves exerted significant antimicrobial activity, so the extracts may be used to develop an antimicrobial formulation. Ciprofloxacin 10µg/ml was used as standard for antibacterial activity and Fluconazole 10µg/ml was used as standard for antifungal activity. CONCLUSION: From the study it was concluded that the ethanolic extract of the plant Cassia occidentalis showed better antimicrobial activity than other extracts.