Phytochemical screening, antioxidants and antimicrobial potential of Lantana camara in different solvents

Resistance to antimicrobial agents is a major global public health problem[1]. Infectious diseases account for approximately one-half of all death in tropics. Despite the progress made in the understanding of microorganisms and their control in industrialized nations, incidents due to drug resistant microorganisms and the emergence of unknown disease causing microbes, posed enormous public health concern[2]. Streptococcus pyogenes, Stephylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, the organisms that causes respiratory and cutaneous infection, as well as Pseudomonas and members of Enterobacteriaceae, causing diarrhea and urinary tract infections and sepsis, are now resistant to virtually all of the known antibiotics[3]. This resistance is largely due to indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs commonly used for the treatment of infectious diseases[4]. Furthermore some antibiotics have serious undesirable side effect which limit their application, so there is serious need to develop new antimicrobial agents that are very effective with minimal unwanted side effect. Plants represent a potential source of novel antibiotic prototypes[5]. Lantana camara (L. camara) is mainly used as a herbal medicine and in some areas as firewood and mulch[6]. It is also used for the treatment of cancers, chicken pox, measles, asthma, ulcers, swellings, eczema, tumors, high PEER REVIEW ABSTRACT