Phytochemical and Antibacterial Studies on Aqueous Ethanol Extract of Thesium viride (Santalaceae)

Thesium viride Hill (Santalaceae) is a sub-shrub hemiparasite that grows up to 45 cm tall and widely distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa. It is used ethno medicinally in ulcer, jaundice and splenomegally. Phytochemical screening was carried out on the aqueous ethanol extract of the whole plant by using standard phytochemical methods. Antibacterial studies were also carried out on the aqueous ethanol extract by using diffusion method and broth dilution methods. The aqueous ethanol extract of the plant was found to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, anthraquinones, saponins and cardiac glycosides. The aqueous extract was found to be active against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori and Shigella dysenteriae and had minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 10, 5, 5, 5, and 5 mg/ml and also minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 20, 20, 20, 10, and 10 mg/ml respectively. The extract was also found to be inactive against Corynbacterium ulcerans and Salmonella typhii. Zones of inhibition produced by aqueous ethanol extract of plant were less than those produced by Original Research Article Shehu et al.; BJPR, 11(2): 1-6, 2016; Article no.BJPR.23046 2 ciprofloxacin (5 μg/ml). The aqueous ethanol extract of the plant could serve as an antibacterial agent on the sensitive bacteria based on the study.