Biological Screening of Eichornia crassipes against Different Pathogenic Microbes: An In Vitro Study

• Main Authors: Rubina Rehman, Muhammad Shahzad Aslam, Bashir Ahmad Choudhary, Muhammad Uzair, Abdul Subhan Ijaz, Muhammad Syarhabil Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: HATASO 2016-09-01
• Series: Recent Advances in Biology and Medicine
• Subjects: Eichornia crassipes; Biological screening; Cytotoxicity; Phytotoxicity
• Online Access: https://rabm.scholasticahq.com/article/907-biological-screening-of-eichornia-crassipes-against-different-pathogenic-microbes-an-in-vitro-study
• ISSN: 2378-654X; 2378-654X

The present research is a biological screening of Eichornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae). Dichloromethane and methanol extracts of the whole plant were investigated for their antibacterial, antifungal, phytotoxic, and cytotoxic activities. The antibacterial activity was evaluated using agar well-diffusion method against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhi. The antifungal activity was evaluated using the agar tube–dilution method against Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Aspergillus flavus, Microsporum canis, and Fusarium solani. The phytotoxicity activity was determined using Lemna bioassay against Lemna minor. Brine shrimp–cytotoxicity assay was determined against brine-shrimp larvae. Dichloromethane extract exhibited significant phytotoxicity (100% growth regulation) at 1,000 µg/ml concentration against Lemna minor whereas methanolic extracts showed moderate (75% growth regulation) phytotoxicity at the same concentration. Methanolic extract showed cytotoxicity at the highest level of dose whereas dichloromethane extract showed no activity having Etoposide as standard drug. Both of the extracts have nonsignificant antifungal and antibacterial activity.