| dc.description.abstract | Synthetic drugs available for the treatment of
chronic and infectious diseases are very expensive
and some of them have become less effective
due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
As such, research is now focused on natural
sources, including plants and plant parts for the
development of novel therapeutic agents. This
study evaluated the in vitro anti-bacterial activity
of aqueous and methanolic root extracts of Sri
Lankan medicinal plant Heteropogon contortus
against two clinically significant pathogenic
strains, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and
Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Agar well
diffusion method was performed separately in
triplicates (N=3) for both microbial suspensions
to evaluate the anti-bacterial effect. Additionally,
phytochemical compositions of aqueous and
methanolic root extracts were also examined
by performing standard chemical tests. Results
revealed that each crude root extract exhibited
anti-bacterial activity against both E. coli and S.
aureus. The largest zones of inhibition against
both E. coli and S. aureus were detected from the
methanolic root extract at a concentration of 200
mg/ml and this is a novel finding. Phytochemical
analysis of roots revealed the presence of
bioactive constituents such as alkaloids, phenols
and flavonoids that account for the anti-bacterial
potential. Therefore, root of H. contortus is a
reliable source to develop potent, cheap and
natural anti-bacterial agents. Future research
focusing on high concentrations of different root
extracts is recommended to further understand
the anti-bacterial capability of H. contortus. | en_US |
