Antimicrobial activity and phytochemical constituents in seed, leaf and bark extract of syzygium cumini (l.)

Syzygium cumini is a well known traditional medicinal plant. The phytochemical constituents of the plant are responsible for its medicinal properties. Investigations were carried out on the crude methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of the seed, leaves and bark of Syzygium cumini (Magnoliopsida: Myrtaceae). The antimicrobial activity of the extract was tested against standard strains of bacteria using the agar well diffusion method. Phytochemical studies showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, phenols, saponins, terpenoid, cardiac glycosides and tannins as the class of chemicals present in the extracts of seed, leaves and bark. The extracts reflected inhibitory activity against clinical isolates. The gram negative bacteria such as Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli; and the gram positive bacteria like Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus were inhibited with the methanol and ethanol extract on contrary to aqueous extract. The methanolic extract of seed was found more potent antimicrobial agent than the leaves and bark extract. The present study provides a support for the use of different part of Syzium cumini as potent antimicrobial agents for sustainable and ecofiendly management of various bacterial strains and further investigation are required for field application.