Antimicrobial and anthelmintic investigations on the leaf extracts and leaf essential oil of Mikania scandens (L) Willd.

About author 
Oommen  P Saj *, Remya  M.R 
Dept. of Botany University College, Trivandrum, Kerala, India 
*E-mail : [email protected]

Abstract
The present study is concentrated  on anthelmintic and  antimicrobial studies  of Mikania scandens (L.)Willd. belongs to the family Asteraceae.  Adult earthworms (Pheretima posthuma) were used to evaluate anthelmintic activity.  The non-polar solvents showed most significant activity than the polar on. Antibacterial activity of plant extracts were checked against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa  and Escherichia coli). The essential oil showed better antimicrobial activity than the leaf extracts and the standard Ampicillin in the case of Staphylococcus aureus. The methanol extracts was more effective as an antifungal agent than the hexane extract. On the otherhand , the essential oil was a very promising antifungal agent than the polar and non polar leaf extracts.
Key words : Pheretima posthuma, anthelmintic activity, Asteraceae, anthelmintic, Ampicillin