A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CITRUS SINENSIS AND PUNICA GRANATUM
Main Article Content
Keywords
Ayurvedic plants, Citrus sinensis, Punica granatum, phytochemical composition, antimicrobial activity, agar well diffusion, natural antimicrobial agents
Abstract
Ayurvedic plants such as Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) and Punica granatum (pomegranate) have been used for their therapeutic properties in traditional Indian medicine. The study was conducted to asses the antimicrobial activity of chloroform and methanol extracts of Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) and Punica granatum (pomegranate) peel against various bacterial and fungal strains. The peels were collected and subjected to extraction using organic solvents. The extracts were then analyzed for phytochemical composition using qualitative screening methods. The results revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds such as coumarins, quinones, flavanones, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, and tannins in both the chloroform and methanol extracts of Citrus sinensis peel. Punica granatum peel extracts also showed similar phytochemical composition, except for the absence of cardiac glycosides in the methanol extract. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was evaluated against various bacterial and fungal strains using the agar well diffusion method. The chloroform extract of Citrus sinensis peel exhibited significant activity against S. agalactiae, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, S. enterica, and A. niger. The methanol extract of Citrus sinensis peel showed activity against E. aerogenes and A. chroococcum. The chloroform extract of Punica granatum peel displayed activity against S. aureus, E. aerogenes, P.aeruginosa, and S. agalactiae, while the methanol extract exhibited activity against S. agalactiae, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, A. chroococcum, and E. aerogenes. Overall, both Citrus sinensis and Punica granatum peel extracts demonstrated antimicrobial activity against the tested strains, highlighting their potential as natural antimicrobial agents.
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