Vol 8, Issue 6, 2015 ISSN - 0974-2441 EFFICIENCY OF IN-VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SYZYGIUM CUMINI PHENOLIC EXTRACT FROM LEAVES PUSHPAHASNI K*, SHARMILA RAJA S, DHASARATHAN P Department of Biotechnology, Prathyusha Institute of Technology and Management, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: kphasni@gmail.com Received: 04 August 2015, Revised and Accepted: 29 September 2015 ABSTRACT Objective: The fundamental objective of this analysis is to assess the potential effect of the phenolic plant extract from Syzygium cumini against bacterial culture. This response indicates the antibacterial properties of the phenolic extract of the plant which can be exploited as a feasible antibacterial agent. Methods: The antibacterial activity of the phenolic-rich extract was tested against human pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration. Preliminary phytochemical studies revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, glycosides, terpenoid, and tannins. Results: The phenolic extract showed potent inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacterium S. aureus and Gram-negative bacterium P. aeruginosa. The zone of inhibition obtained in the antibacterial assay was scrutinized, and the results obtained were analyzed in terms of the antibacterial activity. Conclusion: Hereby, inferring from the experimental outcomes, the phenolic plant extract of S. cumini can be used as an effective antibacterial agent. Keywords: Polyphenol, Antibacterial activity, Disc diffusion, Syzygium cumini. INTRODUCTION Antibacterials were considered miracle drugs when they were first introduced. Resistant strains of bacteria began to emerge. Today, roughly 50 years after antibiotics were introduced; antibiotic resistance is a serious problem, and antibiotics are losing their effectiveness. One response to this phenomenon is the greater public use of a variety of antibacterial agents designed to remove disease-causing organisms from external surfaces before they can enter the body. Hence, the need for effective and novel antibacterial agents is significantly increasing. The genus Syzygium is one of the genera of the myrtle family Myrtaceae, which is native to the tropics, particularly to tropical America and Australia. Plants of this family are known to be rich in volatile oils which are reported for their uses in medicine, and many fruits of the family have a rich history of uses both as edibles and as traditional medicines in divergent ethnobotanical practices throughout the tropical and subtropical world [1,2]. Some of the edible species of Syzygium are planted throughout the tropics worldwide. All parts of the jambolan can be used medicinally, and it has a long tradition in alternative medicine. From all over the world, the fruits have been used for a wide variety of ailments, including a cough, diabetes, dysentery, inflammation, and ringworm [2]. It is widely distributed throughout India, and Ayurvedic medicine (Indian folk medicine) mentions its use for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Various traditional practitioners in India use the different parts of the plant in the treatment of diabetes, blisters in mouth, cancer, colic, diarrhea, digestive complaints, dysentery, piles, pimples, and stomach ache [3]. During last four decades, numerous folk medicinal reports on the antidiabetic effects of this plant have been cited in the literature. In Unani medicine, various parts of jambolan act as a liver tonic, enrich blood, strengthen teeth and gums, and form good lotion for removing ringworm infection of the head [4]. The leaves are also used to strengthen the teeth and gums, to treat leucorrhea, stomachalgia, fever, gastropathy, strangury, dermopathy, constipation, and to inhibit blood discharges in the feces [5,6]. The folkloric use of this species to treat infectious diseases stimulated the investigation of the antimicrobial activity of the hydroalcoholic extract from Syzygium cumini leaves against standard and multi-drug resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative human pathogenic bacteria. The traditional medicines based mostly on medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of various diseases by mankind for centuries. Plants are also well-known to be the rich source of biologically active compounds. The use of natural products in disease prevention and control as well as in drug development has received increased attention in recent timing; about 25% of globally prescribed drugs are obtained from plants [7]. Therefore, one approach being used for the discovery of antibacterial agents from natural sources is based on the evaluation of traditional plant extracts. The aim of the study report is to examine the antibacterial activity of alkaloid extract from the leaves of S. cumini. METHODS Preliminary screening of plant phytoconstituents The S. cumini leaves were collected from the Herbal Garden of Sri Sai Ram Siddha Medical College and Research Centre, Chennai. The leaves were further processed to obtain the plant extract. The leaves of S. cumini are dried with sunshade condition and made into fine powder. Before the extraction of the phytochemicals from the plant material, they are subjected to the screening process for the identification of the phytoconstituents, if present. The aqueous-methanol extract is freshly prepared and divided into different test tubes, and various chemical constituents were analyzed according to methods described by Trease and Evans [8] and Harborne [9]. The different chemical constituents tested for included tannins, polyphenols, saponin, glycosides, glucosides, alkaloids, triterpenes, and flavonoids. Partial characterization of phenolic fraction from the leaves of S. cumini by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) The partial characterization of the alkaloid extract from the leaves of S. cumini was done on pre-coated silica gel TLC plates (60 F 254 Merck, USA). The efficient solvent system used for the different phytochemical extract was as follows: Crude alkaloid extract was run on pre-coated aluminum silica gel 60 F 254 plates for further confirmation. For the Research Article