THE LEAF OF NILGIRI RHODODENDRON: A POTENT ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT AGAINST MEDICALLY CRITICAL HUMAN PATHOGENS
AbstractSeveral reports are available for Rhododendron arboreum which is limited to its subspecies nilagiricum. The present study intended to examine the bioactive compounds and the antimicrobial activity of leaf extracts of R. arboreum Sm spp. nilagiricum (Zenker) Tagg against medically important four bacterial (Streptococcus pyogene, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia) and two fungal (Candida albicans and Trichoderma viride) strains. Agar well diffusion method is applied to assess the antimicrobial activity of the aqueous and methanol extracts of the plant sample. Various fractions of aqueous, ethanol, methanol and chloroform extracts confirmed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, carbohydrates, glycosides, amino acids, and proteins. The methanol extract of leaf revealed a promising antibacterial and antifungal activity against S. aureus and T. viride respectively. This study shows a broad and great therapeutic potential of the leaf extract. However further studies are necessary for this potent leaf extracts to evaluate the other parameters of antimicrobial efficacy.