In vitro growth inhibition of pathogenic bacteria by Solanum seaforthianum L.

Thangaraj Francis Xavier*, Pan

Abstract

Acetone, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and water extract from leaves and stem of Solanum seaforthianum were investigated for the antibacterial activities. Growth inhibition was determined using disc diffusion method against nine bacterial species. Among various solvent extracts tested, methanolic stem extract exhibited high degree of inhibition followed by ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts. The petroleum ether, acetone and chloroform extracts showed low degree of inhibition. The results from this study thus showed that methanol extracts of Solanum seaforthianum have potentially growth inhibitory effects on pathogenic bacteria.