Author : Hemali Padalia, Pooja Moteriya and Sumitra Chanda

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death world-wide. Antibiotic resistance has become a global concern and multidrug resistance bacteria on rise. So, there is an urgent need to identify novel and potent active antimicrobial agents. In the present work, phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial activity of Tamarindus indica leaf and stem was done . The extraction was done by individual cold percolation method using six different solvents viz., petroleum ether, toluene, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol and water. Phenolic and flavonoid content of different extracts was determined using Folin-ciocalteu assays and aluminium chloride colorimetric method respectively. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by agar well diffusion method against eight different pathogenic species of Gram negative bacteria and Gram positive bacteria. The leaf and stem had various phytochemicals like tannins, flavonoids, triterpenes. Maximum extractive yield was in aqueous extract both in leaf and stem. Maximum phenol content was in polar solvent methanol and acetone extracts both in leaf and stem. Maximum flavonoid content was in toluene extract and followed by ethyl acetate extracts both in leaf and stem. Acetone extract of T. indica leaf showed good antimicrobial activity against all the bacteria investigated.

Keywords: Tamarindus indica, leaf and stem, Total phenol and flavonoid content, Antimicrobial activity, Phytochemical, solvents

Article published in International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol.5, No.4 (Aug-2015)