Comparative Evaluation on the Antibacterial Activity of Karpoori Variety Piper betle Leaves against Certain Bacterial Pathogens

In recent years, there is an increased thirst for the production of plant-derived drugs for the treatment of many diseases. Having known the wide applications of betel leaves in day-today life, this investigation was performed to assess the antibacterial potential of betel leaves. Different extracts viz. methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform, and water were used against ten pathogenic bacteria. Among the extracts tested, methanol extracts prepared from Karpoori variety of Piper betle collected from Tamil Nadu exerted good antibacterial activity against test organisms. The pathogens viz. Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, and Streptococcus pyogenes were exhibited greater susceptibility towards methanol extract of betel leaves. The results also revealed that there was a marked difference among the same variety of P. betle cultivated under two different regions in their antimicrobial nature. S. Aruljothi, C. Uma*, P. Sivagurunathan Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamilnadu, India. Submission: 5 May 2016 Accepted: 10 May 2016 Published: 25 May 2016 www.ijsrm.humanjournals.com Citation: C. Uma et al. Ijsrm.Human, 2016; Vol. 3 (3): 35-45. 36 INTRODUCTION Nowadays, multidrug resistance has been observed in pathogenic microorganisms due to wide spread use of antibiotics. An increased antibiotic resistance to the existing antibiotics should be balanced with the discovery of new medication. An alternative product, which is more potent, low cost with fewer side effects and continuous large number availability, needs to be discovered to overcome antibiotic resistance of microorganism (Kaveti and Tan, 2011). Much focus is being given to traditionally used medicinal plants for their antimicrobial properties due to negative impacts displayed by synthetic drugs, such as antibiotic resistance, side effects, high cost, and loss of public reliance (Livermore, 2004). It is estimated that about 25% of modern medicines are directly derived from higher plants. It is interesting to note that about 60% of the antitumor and antimicrobial medicines currently available on the market are derived from natural products, mainly from higher plants (Kritikar and Basu, 1999). The most popular medicinal plant known by the people all over the world is betel plant. The antiseptic property of the betel plant has been known since 600 BC (Sudewo, 2010). Indian ancient culture witnessed the vital role played by Piper betle. Indian traditional books of Ayurveda, Charaka Samhitas, and Kashyapa Bhojanakalpa enlisted the practice of chewing P. betle leaf after meals (Kumar et al., 2010). The P. betle (Tamil: Vetrilai) is a perennial dioecious glabrous climbing vine belonging to the family Piperaceae. Leaves are simple alternate and yellow to bright green in color (Sharma et al., 2009; Jayaweera, 1982). In Tamilnadu, three varieties of P. betle leaves viz. Sirugamani, Karpoori, and Vellaikodi, are mostly available (Nandkarnis, 2007). The plant grows well in warm, humid climates (Nanayakkara et al., 2014). The comparative study is essential because the phytochemical concentration of the plant may tend to differ according to habitation, soil, climate, and agronomic practices followed. Even though numerous researches have been done on various medicinal uses of P. betle leaves, the comparative study between leaf varieties grow under different climate is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare antimicrobial properties of betel leaf Karpoori variety collected from Tamil Nadu and Kerala state against selected bacterial pathogens. www.ijsrm.humanjournals.com Citation: C. Uma et al. Ijsrm.Human, 2016; Vol. 3 (3): 35-45. 37 MATERIALS AND METHODS Collection of plants The P. betle Karpoori variety leaves grown in Tamil Nadu and Kerala state were selected for this study. Healthy and well-grown, young greenish leaves were collected directly from the cultivated fields in sterile polythene bags and transported to the laboratory. The leaves were washed alternatively with tap water and distilled water, then surface sterilization was done with 10% concentrated sodium hypochlorite solution to prevent the growth of microbes, rinsed again with sterile distilled water and shade dried at room temperature. Preparation of plant extracts Dried leaves were homogenized into a fine powder using mixer grinder. Five different solvents viz. methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform, and water were used to extract bioactive compounds from the sample. About 50g of powdered samples were loaded in Soxhlet apparatus with 250ml of respective solvent separately and extracted for about 72 h. The extraction was continued until the extractive become colorless. Finally, all the successive extracts were evaporated in rotary vacuum evaporator at 40°C. The crude extract thus obtained were transferred into glass vials and stored at 4°C until it is required.