ANTIBACTERIAL AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF DURANTA PLUMIERI, LINN.

The antibacterial properties of methanol leaf extract of Duranta plumieri was determined against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis and Bacillus subtilis as test organisms using the agar disc diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined using the microbroth dilution method. The methanol extract was subjected to preliminary phytochemical analysis. Free radical scavenging activity of the methanol extract at different concentrations was determined with 2, 2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). E. coli, Staph. aureus, Kl. pneumoniae, B. subtilis and Pr. mirabilis were susceptible to D. plumieri extract with minimum inhibition concentrations of 48 mg/ml, 192 mg/ml, 192 mg/ml, 12 mg/ml and 96 mg/ml respectively. The extract had no activity against Ps. aeruginosa. Alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, steroids and polyphenols (tannins and flavonoids) were detected as phytoconstituents of the methanol extract.