IN-VITRO SCREENING OF ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SEEDS OF CROTALARIA VERRUCOSA L. AND DURANTA ERECTA L.

G. Prabhakar* P. Kamalakar T. Ashok Vardhan and K.Shailaja

ABSTRACT

Antimicrobial activities of seeds of Crotalaria verrucosa L. (Fabaceae) and Duranta erecta L. (Verbenaceae) were tested in the present study. The crude extracts were prepared by hot continuous and successive extraction using soxhlet apparatus. Extractions were done in the order of increasing polarity of the solvents in the sequence of hexane, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, chloroform, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water. Anti bacterial activities were investigated by “Disc Diffusion Method” against the Human pathogenic bacteria: viz., Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Water and methanolic extracts of C. verrucosa showed maximum inhibition effects against Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Keywords: Anti Bacterial Activity, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus.