ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF CRUDE EXTRACTS OF VARIOUS MEDICINAL PLANTS AGAINST RESISTANT ESCHERICHIA COLI ASSOCIATED WITH URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Abstract

The crude aqueous extracts of Phyllanthus niruri Linn., Phyllanthus maderaspatensis Linn., Euphorbia hirta Linn., Ricinus communis Linn.(red and green variety), in the present inhibited the growth of isolated nitrofurantoin resistant E.coli strains (LPM01 TO LPM08) that cause majority of UTI and which usually display above average resistance to most antibiotics and non-antibiotics antibacterial agents. The efficacy of the extracts, probably due to the identified secondary metabolites, further confirm its use as an antibacterial agent in folkloric medicine and may thus be useful in the treatment of urinary tract infections. The plant can be used as a source for oral antibacterial drugs that can treat infections caused by susceptible gram-negative bacteria. Although Ricinus communis Linn (red and green variety) were found to contain some bioactive compounds with pronounced antibacterial activities, further phytochemical and pharmacological studies will be needed to isolate the active constituents and evaluate the antimicrobial activities against a wide range of microbial pathogens.