Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Litsea monopetala Leaves on Selected Pathogenic Strains

Aims: To evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal activity of some solvent extracts of Litsea monopetala (LM) leaves.

Study Design: Examination of antibacterial and antifungal activity of petroleum ether fraction (PEF), chloroform fraction (CLF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) and crude methanol extract (CME) of Litsea monopetala (LM) leaves.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh, from September to November 2014.

Methodology: Fresh LM leaves were extracted with methanol followed by fractionation. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of the crude extract were determined by using the Agar disk diffusion method against gram positive, gram negative bacterial and fungal strains.

Results: All tested plant extracts, showed varying zones of inhibition against bacteria and fungi tested. The zone of inhibition for bacteria was found to be in the range from 5 to 15 mm and 5 to 13 mm for fungi. The CME and EAF of the methanolic extract of LM has greater antibacterial activity against all tested gram positive and gram negative bacteria compare to other fraction. CME and EAF has also strong antifungal activity against tested fungi except Candida albicans in which CLF showed maximum antifungal activity.

Conclusion: The present study shows that LM leaves possess an excellent source of natural antibacterial and antifungal agents which could be developed in the treatment of bacterial and fungal diseases.