Objective: Infections caused by microorganisms that have become resistant to commonly used antibiotics have become a major nuisance globally. The problem of microbial resistance is increasing rapidly, and therefore there is an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobial agents from a natural source. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of different solvent extracts of aerial part of Alysicarpus procumbens, Fimbristylis dichotoma, Saccharum spontaneum, Suaeda nigra, and Typha angustifolia against pathogenic microorganisms. Methods:The extraction was done by individual cold percolation method using five solvents of different polarity, viz., petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and water (aqueous). The antimicrobial activity was done by agar well diffusion method against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi.Results: All the plant solvent extracts showed varied level of antimicrobial activity against different microorganisms. All extracts of five plants showed better antibacterial activity than antifungal activity; Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria. Conclusion:The polarity of solvent greatly influences extractive yield and antimicrobial activity of medicinal plants. The best activity was shown by solvent extracts of S. nigra. Hence, it can be considered as good source of antimicrobial agents.

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Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and total phenol and flavonoid content of different parts (peel, pulp and aerial parts) of Lagenaria siceraria. Method: Successive extraction was done by cold percolation method using solvents of different polarity viz. petroleum ether, toluene, ethyl acetate, acetone, water. Total phenol content was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent method and flavonoid was determined by aluminium chloride colorimetric method. The antioxidant assays evaluated were 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, 2, 2'-Azino-bis-(3-ethyl) benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical cation scavenging activity and Ferric reducing antioxidant power. Results: L. siceraria peel possessed maximum phenol and flavonoid content in acetone and toluene extracts respectively. FRAP was maximum in acetone extract of peel. The peel extract demonstrated stronger DPPH activity with IC 50 value of 111 µg/ml followed by pulp extract. The same extract was effective in scavenging ABTS radical with an IC 50 value of 39 µg/ml while other parts were ineffective. Conclusion: This work demonstrated good antioxidant activity of L. siceraria vegetable cultivated in India and recommends that the peel of this vegetable may be of interest from a functional point of view as a major source of natural antioxidant.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate synergistic anticandidal activity of two Terminalia species with polyene and azole group of antibiotics against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Candida. Methods:The synergistic effect of ethanol extract of leaf of Terminalia cattapa. and Terminalia chebula with six standard antibiotics, namely, amphotericin B, nystatin, fluconazole (FLC), ketoconazole (KT), clotrimazole (CC), and itraconazole (IT) was evaluated against the clinical isolates by disk diffusion assay. Results:The synergistic activity of the antibiotics with ethanol extract of T. chebula was better than with that of T. cattapa. T. chebula ethanol extract increased the anticandidal effect of azole antibiotics FLC and KT, while it had a less synergistic effect on CC and IT. Conclusion:Therefore, FLC/KT plus ethanol extract of T. chebula can be an interesting and alternative source of anticandidal agent against Candida species.

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