Antibacterial efficacy of Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) an indigenous medicinal plant against experimental murine salmonellosis

In the present study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of ashwagandha [ Withania somnifera L. Dunal (Solanaceae; root and leaves)], an Indian traditional medicinal plant against pathogenic bacteria. Both aqueous as well as alcoholic extracts of the plant (root as well as leaves) were found to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 229 - 235
Main Authors:	Owais, M., Sharad, K.S., Shehbaz, A., Saleemuddin, M.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Germany Elsevier GmbH 01-03-2005 Urban & Fischer Verlag Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects:	Administration, Oral Animals Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use Antibacterial activity Antibacterial agents antibacterial properties drug therapy Female leaves Medicinal plants Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Microbial Sensitivity Tests oral administration Phytotherapy plant extracts Plant Extracts - administration & dosage Plant Extracts - pharmacology Plant Extracts - therapeutic use Plant Leaves Plant Roots roots Salmonella Infections - prevention & control Salmonella typhimurium Salmonella typhimurium - drug effects salmonellosis Withania Withania somnifera Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) United States PBS CFU NA NB NS MIC Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) Antibacterial activity Salmonella typhimurium
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Summary:	In the present study, we evaluated the antibacterial activity of ashwagandha [ Withania somnifera L. Dunal (Solanaceae; root and leaves)], an Indian traditional medicinal plant against pathogenic bacteria. Both aqueous as well as alcoholic extracts of the plant (root as well as leaves) were found to possess strong antibacterial activity against a range of bacteria, as revealed by in vitro Agar Well Diffusion Method. The methanolic extract was further sub-fractionated using various solvents and the butanolic sub-fraction was found to possess maximum inhibitory activity against a spectrum of bacteria including Salmonella typhimurium. Moreover, in contrast to the synthetic antibiotic (viz. chloramphenicol), these extracts did not induce lysis on incubation with human erythrocytes, advocating their safety to the living cells. Finally, the antibacterial efficacy of the extracts isolated from plant (both root and leaves) was determined against experimental salmonellosis in Balb/C mice. Oral administration of the aqueous extracts successfully obliterated salmonella infection in Balb/C mice as revealed by increased survival rate as well as less bacterial load in various vital organs of the treated animals.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0944-7113 1618-095X
DOI:	10.1016/j.phymed.2003.07.012