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Pak. J. Bot., 45(2): 667-670, 2013.

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SELECTIVE IN VITRO GROWTH INHIBITORY EFFECT OF WITHANIA SOMNIFERA ON HUMAN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA AND BIFIDOBACTERIA

K. HALAMOVA¹, L. KOKOSKA^1*, Z. POLESNY¹, K. MACAKOVA², J. FLESAR³ AND V. RADA³

Abstract: Antimicrobial activity of crude acetone extract from the aerial part of Withania somnifera was tested in vitro against six pathogenic bacteria viz., Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermis, S. aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and S. pyogenes and five bifidobacteria viz., Bifidobacterium animalis, B. breve, B. catenulatum, B. infantis and B. longum evaluating its potential harmful effect on beneficial gastrointestinal microbiota using disk diffusion method. The results showed that pathogenic bacteria were significantly more susceptible to the extract of W. somnifera than bifidobacteria (average of diameters of inhibition zones 20.45 mm and 13.10 mm, respectively) at the concentration of 2 mg/disc. Among all bacteria tested, S. pneumoniae was the most sensitive, while B. animalis was the most resistant species. These results suggest W. somnifera as an effective antibacterial agent against human pathogenic bacteria with lowered harmful effect on bifidobacteria.

¹Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Institute of Tropics and Subtropics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 00 Prague 6-Suchdol, Czech Republic

²Department of Pharmaceutical Botany and Ecology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University in Prague,

Heyrovskeho 1203, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

³Department of Microbiology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources,

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 21 Prague 6-Suchdol, Czech Republic

^*Corresponding author e-mail: kokoska@its.czu.cz