SCREENING OF ANTIBACTERIAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF MALVA PARVIFLORA LINN. FRUIT EXTRACTS AGAINST RESPIRATORY TRACT PATHOGENS

M. parviflora fruit extracts was subjected for extraction with different solvents and tested for antibacterial property by agar well diffusion method against five bacterial pathogens responsible for respiratory tract infections. From this plant, all the studied extracts revealed inhibitory action towards tested microorganisms. Highest inhibition was in methanol and ranged between 15.3±0.28 to 20.6±0.57 mm with uppermost activity against S. pneumoniae and lowest against P. aeruginosa respectively. The MIC were fixed by two-fold serial dilution method and recorded for methanol extracts at 3.1212.5 mg/ml. Phytochemical study revealed the variable presence of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids, terpenes, saponins and tannins. From the results, it can be concluded that M. parviflora has significant bioactivity against tested microorganisms and can be utilized in drug development against respiratory ailments.