title: Antibacterial activity of selected ethnomedicinal plants from South India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To screen the antimicrobial potential of three ethnomedicinal plants Chassalia curviflora Thw. (C. curviflora), Cyclea peltata Hook. F. & Thomson (C. peltata) and Euphorbia hirta L (E. hirta) used in folk medicines in Aarukani hills Kani tribe, Tamil Nadu, India against human bacterial pathogens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antibacterial efficacy was performed by disc diffusion method against the pathogens viz., Escherichia coli (E. coli) (ATCC 35218), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (ATCC 6538), Salmonella typhi (S. typhi) (MTCC 733), Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris), Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) and Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) and incubated for 24 h at 37 °C.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The maximum degree of antibacterial activity was observed in C. peltata followed by C. curviflora. While E. hirta showed comparatively low degree of antibacterial activity. The methanolic extract of C. peltata showed the antibacterial activity against three pathogens viz., S. pyogenes, P. vulgaris and E. coli with the inhibition zones 12 mm, 10 mm and 9 mm, respectively. hexane extracts of C. peltata also showed the antibacterial activity against two selected pathogens viz., P. vulgaris and P. mirabilis with 15 mm and 12 mm of inhibition zones. All the three different concentrations (0.25, 0.50 & 0.75 mg/mL) of methanolic extract of C. peltata show the inhibitory effect on the three susceptible bacteria S. pyogenes, P. vulgaris and E. coli with the maximum inhibition in the highest concentration (0.75 mg/mL). The methanolic and hexane extracts of C. curviflora exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium each i.e. P. vulgaris and S. typhi with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. The methanolic and hexane extracts of E. hirta exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium i.e. S. pyogenes with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present investigation revealed that the C. curviflora, C. peltata and E. hirta are potentially good source of antibacterial agents and demonstrates the importance of such plants in traditional medicines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Scott Christian College (Autonomous), Nagercoil - 629 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Rajendran Darling Anpin
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Raja
authors.forename: Solomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeeva
authors.forename: Juststella Wilfred
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: Johnson Marimuthu
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Antonisamy
authors.forename: Varaprasadham
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Irudayaraj
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts