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Background:: Phytochemicals such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and peptides been found to have antimicrobial activity against a variety of bacterial strains. Objective:: However, optimal extraction procedures for these phytochemicals and their efficacy evaluation against certain pathogenic bacterial strains remain unclear. Method:: Therefore, in this study phytochemicals from Leucas aspera (L. aspera) and Dahlia pinnata (D. pinnata) were extracted by hot and cold extraction methods using water and methanol as solvents. In addition, antimicrobial activity of L. aspera and D. pinnata extracts against bacterial strains such as the gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) were performed by Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and CFU quantification assays. Results:: The majority of the phytochemicals such as protein, carbohydrate, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, and saponins were present in our extracts but steroids were absent in the extract. Protein, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, and saponins were present in both L. aspera and D. pinnata. The yield of proteins was high (1.990 ± 0.091 mg/ml) in methanol extracts of L. aspera and low (0.199 mg/ml) in aqueous extracts. However, the yield of tannins was high (1.713 ± 0.079 mg/ml) in methanol extracts of D. pinnata and low (0.528 ± 0.136 mg/ml) aqueous extracts. The MIC of D. pinnata extracts were found to be 200 mg/ml for both E. coli and E. faecalis. However the L. aspera extracts had a MIC of 100 mg/ml and 200 mg/ml on E. coli and E. faecalis, respectively. Conclusion:: This article demonstrated the potential use of phytochemicals as novel antimicrobial compounds against bacterial infections.

The study was conducted to evaluate the acute postprandial and long-term metabolic response to a traditional mixture of barley (Hordeurn vulgare), Bengal gram (Cicer arkfinurn) and wheat (Trificurn aesfivurn). The acute study was performed on eight healthy subjects (five male, three female) and six subjects with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (four male, two female). Each subject underwent two 50g carbohydrate meal tolerance tests (MIT), one with white bread (reference meal) and another with chapaties made from the cereal-pulse mixture (CP). The postprandial glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to CP were attenuated compared to those to white bread, the glycaemic index being 68.6 and 64.9 in healthy and NIDDM subjects, respectively, and the insulinaemic index being 88.1 and 66.0 in healthy and NIDDM subjects, respectively.The long-term study was performed on five healthy subjects (four male, one female) and four male NIDDM subjects. The study consisted of two dietary periods, control (C) and experimental (E), of 4 weeks each, completed in random order using a cross-over design. During C, the subjects consumed the diet to which they were normally accustomed. During E, part of the daily cereal intake of the subjects was replaced by chapaties made from l00g CP. During C, none of the variables studied showed any significant change. During E, fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin levels decreased, and carbohydrate tolerance improved significantly in NIDDM subjects. High density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased significantly during E in both healthy and NIDDM subjects. The physiological effects of CP make it a suitable staple or supplement for management of NIDDM and it may also have possible benefits in atherosclerosis.