Context: Screening ethnobotanical plants is a pre-requisite to evaluating their therapeutic potential and can lead to the isolation of new bioactive compounds.
Objective: To determine the antibacterial and antifungal therapeutic potential of Justicia adhatoda.
Design: The research team conducted an antimicrobial activity.
Setting: The study was conducted in a bioscience lab at International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Intervention: Methanolic, ethanolic, and ethyl acetate crude extracts of Justicia adhatoda were prepared at concentrations of 1000, 500, and 100 µg/ml.
Outcome measures: The crude extracts were evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli and for in vitro antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, and Fusarium oxysporum, indicating different zones of inhibition.
Results: The highest antibacterial activity was recorded in Justicia adhatoda-methanolic extract (16.33 ± 0.57 mm) and Justicia adhatoda-ethanolic extract (17 ± 1 mm) against Escherichia coli at 1000 μg/ml. Justicia adhatoda-ethyl acetate extract (13 ± 1 mm) showed a significant result as a zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus at 1000 μg/ml. In the fungal strain culture, the highest antifungal activity was recorded in Justicia adhatoda-methanolic extract (15.66 ± 0.57 mm), Justicia adhatoda-ethanolic extract (14 ± 1 mm), and Justicia adhatoda-ethyl acetate extract (14.33 ± 1.15 mm) against the Aspergillus niger at 1000 μg/ml.
Conclusion: The antimicrobial activities may be due to the strong occurrence of active compounds, i.e., saponins, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, phenols, and flavonoids. It has been concluded that Justicia adhatoda extracts are suitable candidates for the development of novel antibacterial compounds.