Abstract:
The management of Diabetes mellitus is a major challenge for clinicians in and
around the world. Uncontrollable hyperglycemia increases the risk of numerous
complications in the body systems. Although a number of anti-diabetic drugs are
available for therapeutic intervention, herbal management for diabetes is
encouraged due to its low side effects and effectiveness worldwide. The present
study deals with the evaluation of antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plant
seeds namely Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels, Brassica alba L., Trigonella foenum graecum L. and Nigella sativa L. Crude ethanolic seeds extract was investigated for
their antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212-gram
positive), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213-gram positive), and Escherichia coli
(ATCC 25922- gram negative) by agar well diffusion method in triplicates. The S.
cumini seed extract exhibited maximum zone of inhibitions (24.70, 16.14 and 10.37
mm) against all three bacterial species (E. faecalis 29212, S. aureus 29213 and E. coli
25922) respectively. However, the antibacterial potential of B. alba seed extract
represented minimum zone of inhibitions (1.08, 1.08, 0 mm) against all three
bacteria; E. faecalis 29212, S. aureus 29213 and E. coli 25922 respectively. Moderate
antibacterial activity was revealed by T. foenum-graecum (10.83, 11.70 mm) against
E. faecalis 29212 and E. coli 25922 and by N. sativa (15.70 mm) against E. coli 25922.
There were no inhibition zones against S. aureus 29213 by T. foenum-graecum and
E. faecalis 29212 by N. sativa. Results indicated that a significant amount of
inhibition zone was achieved against all the selected bacterial species, which was
comparable with positive control streptomycin. According to these results, S. cumini
seed extract showed highest antimicrobial activity against selected bacteria species.
In conclusion, the present study shows that S. cumini seeds can be used not only to
treat diabetes mellitus but also as an antimicrobial agent.
