Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies of Begonia malabarica

Phytochemical investigation of the various extracts of the leaves of Begonia malabarica Lam. (Begoniaceae) resulted in the isolation and identification of six known compounds, viz, friedelin, epi-friedelinol, beta-sitosterol, luteolin, quercetin and beta-sitosterol-3-beta-D-glucopyranoside. The aqueous and organic solvent extracts were also tested against ten human pathogenic bacteria and four fungal strains by the agar-well diffusion method, All the extracts were devoid of antifungal activity against the tested fungi. The hexane extract did not show any activity. The aqueous extracts showed activity against the Gram-negative bacteria except Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The chloroform and methanol extracts showed activity against all the tested bacteria. The study supported the claim of the usefulness of the plant in respiratory tract infections and also suggests its use in diarrhoea and skin diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.