Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of aqueous leaf extract of Punica granatum

In the present study the leaves of Punica granatum were subjected to phytochemical screening and the impact of the leaf extract of Punica granatum was tested against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of various phytochemicals such as alkaloids, tannins, phenols, flavonoid and saponins. Agar disk diffusion method was employed to test the antibacterial activity and the result showed that the aquesous leaf extract of Punica granatum showed 100% inhibition against all the tested bacteria at varying concentration of extract. The Minimum Inhbitory Concentration (MIC) of Punica granatum aqueous leaf extract that showed 100% inhibition was 0.36 mg/ml, 0.13 mg/ml and 0.13 mg/ml in case of Bacullus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi respectively.