Antibacterial potentials of Tamarindus indica L. leaf extracts against multidrug resistant pathogens

Multidrug resistance (MDR), which has a major effect on patient's morbidity and mortality, is the bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents not with standing previous sensitivity to them. Due to a number of reasons like irrational use of antibiotics, it has been predicted that, by 2050, the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will reach to epidemic proportions, becoming the major cause of death. So, the scientific world is searching for potential antibacterial agents from the nature and various plant materials have proven to be one of the promising sources. Tamarindus indica L. (Tamarind) which is widely seen in tropical and subtropical zones has shown to possess a number of potential biochemical compounds, many of them yet to be explored, with a wide range of activities including against microorganisms. So, the present study focuses on evaluating the anti-MDR bacterial activity of the methanolic leaf extracts of this plant against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and the antioxidant activities were also examined. 500 mg/ml and 1000 mg/ml extracts concentrations showed higher zones of inhibition against both the test organisms. The MICs of E. coli and S. aureus were found to be 7.8 mg and 31.5 mg. The crude leaf extract showed better antioxidant values, 78.73 +/- 0.46% of DPPH scavenging and 62.8 +/- 0.42% of reducing power was observed on 1000 mu g of extract. From this analysis, it has been concluded that, further studies will help in exploring the chances of using potential phytocompounds from T. indica in the treatment of MDR infections.