ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA (BURM. F.) METHANOL LEAF EXTRACT ON BACTERIA CONSORTIA ISOLATED FROM BLOOD OF DIABETIC PATIENTS

Introduction: Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) is a significant pharmacological plant and regularly used in different parts of the world. The antibacterial activity of the methanol leaf extract of A. paniculata against bacterial consortia from blood of diabetic patients was evaluated in this study. Methods: The enumeration of bacteria from blood samples of diabetic patients and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern were done using standard techniques. The phytochemical analysis of A. paniculata methanol extract and antibacterial assay of the extract were also done using standard methods. Results: Staphylococcus aureus had the highest occurring rate of 19.56 % while Klebsiella pneumoniae had the lowest occurring rate of 0.40 %. The isolates exhibited different sensitivity patterns to conventional antibiotics. There were variations in the zones of inhibition of A. paniculata methanol extract against the bacterial isolates as extract showed concentration was dependent on antibacterial activity with all the bacterial isolates susceptible to the extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (mg/ml) of the A. paniculata methanol extract ranged from 5 mg/ml to 10 mg/ml while the minimum bactericidal concentration (mg/ml) of the bacteria isolated from diabetic patients ranged from 10 mg/ml to 20 mg/ml. Conclusion: Findings revealed that the methanol leaf extract of A. paniculata very strong antibacterial activity for a wide range of bacteria from blood samples of diabetic patients and more reliable than commercially available antibiotics hence suggesting that leaves of A. paniculata can be used to develop novel antibacterial drugs.