ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF SELECTED CRYPTOGAMS FROM SOLAN REGION
Aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of bryophyte, Polytrichum commune, and three pteridophytes, Marsilea minuta, Dryopteris filix mass and Adiantum raddianum were evaluated for their inhibitory activity on clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas aeruginosa. These Cryptogams were collected from Solan and Shimla region of Himachal Pradesh (India). The extraction of the plant material was done with Soxhlet apparatus. Standard antibiotic discs of amikacin, ciprofroxacin, erythromycin, netillin, and gatifloxacin were used in the assay for comparison. Significant zone of inhibition was produced by ethanolic extracts against both the test organisms. Polytrichum commune was found to have effective antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa while it exhibited mild inhibitory activity against S. aureus. Among pteridophytes, Adiantum raddianum and Dryopteris filix mass showed considerable antibacterial potential against both the organisms while Marsilea minuta showed more activity against P. aeruginosa than S. aureus. We did not, however, observe any significant antimicrobial activity in the aqueous extracts. Phytochemical analysis of the plant extracts studied revealed the presence of proteins, alkaloids and flavonoids in them.