Journal of Environmental Biology

Studies on antimicrobial efficacy of medicinal

tuberous shrub Talinum cuneifolium

Author Details

N. Savithramma

(Corresponding author)

Department of Botany, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati - 517 502, India

e-mail: prof.savithri@yahoo.in

S. Ankanna

Department of Botany, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati - 517 502, India

M. Linga Rao

Department of Botany, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati - 517 502, India

J. Saradvathi

Department of Botany, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati - 517 502, India

Publication Data

Paper received:

05 January 2011

Revised received:

04 June 2011

Accepted:

14 June 2011

Abstract

Talinum cuneifolium (Vahl.) Willd. an erect shrub with subterranian tuber (Portulacaceae) is endowed with wide range of pharmacological activities.? The antimicrobial efficacy of the plant is evaluated against three bacteria and two fungal species by disc diffusion method. Preliminary phytochemical screening was carried out among hexane, ethylacetate, methanolic extracts of leaf and root tuber for different potent chemicals. The leaf methanolic extract of T. cuneifolium showed maximum effect on the growth of Proteus (25.8 mm) followed by Bacillus (24.62 mm) and E. coli (19.42 mm).? The tuberous methanolic extract of T. cuneifolium showed maximum effect on growth of Proteus (28.15 mm) followed by Bacillus (26.88 mm) and E. coli (24.51 mm). The Gram-positive bacterial strains (Bacillus) were more susceptible to the extractions of T. cuneifolium as compared to Gram-negative bacteria (E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and Klebsiella pneumoneia). The antifungal activity of selected plant leaf and root tubers exhibit pronounced activity against Candida albicans rather than Aspergillus niger.? These studies showed that the methanolic extracts of T. cuneifolium plant parts were certainly much better and powerful. ?This may be due to the better solubility of the action components in organic solvent.

Key words

Antimicrobial efficacy, Talinum cuneifolium, Root tuber, Medicinal plant?

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