COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL OF IN VIVO AND IN VITRO ROOT EXTRACTS OF MUCUNA GIGANTEA (WILLD.) DC.-AN ENDANGERED MEDICINAL PLANT OF ODISHA

Abstract

The present study compares antibacterial potential of in vivo (natural) and in vitro (tissue culture regenerated) root extracts of Mucuna gigantea. The antibacterial activity was performed by agarwell diffusion method against five different human pathogenic bacterial strains, viz. Streptococcus pyogenes (MTCC 1926), Streptococcus mutans (MTCC 497), Salmonella typhii (MTCC 1252), Sigella flexneri (MTCC 1457) and Vibrio cholera (MTCC 0139). The antibacterial activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of both in vivo and in vitro root specimens was determined by measuring the diameter of inhibition zone. Methanolroot extracts of both in vivo and in vitro M. gigantea showed greater zone of inhibition than aqueous extracts. Among the five bacterial strains used, root extract (in vivo and in vitro) showed maximum zone of inhibition against Sigella flexneri. Of the two types of root extracts, in vitro root showed higher zone of inhibition i.e. 2.3cm than in in vivo root which showed 2.0cm at 500 mg/ml of concentration for S. flexneri. In vitro root exhibited better antibacterial activity than in vivo- root. As the findings confirmed that both aqueous and methanol in vitro root extracts are capable of showing higher zone of inhibition than the in vivo extracts, credence must be given to the use of in vitro root of M. gigantea as continuous and sustainable resources for pharmaceutical industries so that the endangered medicinal mangrove plant of Odisha can remain undisturbed.