Antimicrobial Activity of Alcoholic and Aqueous Extracts of Tinospora cordifolia

Abstract

The success of chemotherapy lies in the continuous search for new drugs to counter the challenge posed by resistant strains. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of  plant Tinospora cordifolia traditionally used in Indian folklore medicine for the treatment of various bacterial and fungal infections were investigated for in vitro antimicrobial activity against pathogens namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtitils by disc diffusion method compared with standard antibiotic. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Tinospora cordifolia showed the toxicity against all the bacteria. The ethanolic extract of plant showed better antibacterial activity than aqueous extract. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay were determined for these two extracts against bacterial strain. Tinospora cordifolia revealed more antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, tannins, saponins and alkaloids. The results provided justification for the use of plants in folk medicine to treat various infectious diseases. Further studies on isolation of active constituents responsible for the antibacterial activity are under investigation.