ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ASTRAGALUS MEMBRANACEUS AGAINST DIARRHEAL BACTERIAL PATHOGENS

Balachandar S, Jagadeeswari M1, Dhanabalan and Meenachi M

Astragalus membranaceus (Fabaceae) is commonly used in medicine to treat a wide variety of infections. However, there is a lack of information on the effectiveness of A. membranaceus against microorganisms. The purpose of this study is to determine whether A. membranaceus inhibits bacterial growth in vitro. Methanolic and Ethanolic extracts of Astragalus membranaceus were prepared using dried root and were screened for phytochemical constituents. Tests for alkaloids, Saponins, Terpenoids, Flavonoids and cardiac glycosides were positive in both methanolic and ethanolic extracts. The evaluation of Antimicrobial activity of both the extracts was also carried out. The extracts were tested in disc diffusion assays against Diarrheal bacterial pathogens Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella, and Campylobacter. The results of antibacterial activity revealed that all the extract showed good inhibitory activity against all the tested pathogens. The activity of the extract was compared with standard antibiotics.