Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Dichloromethane (DCM) Extract of Dracaena spicata

Abstract

Medicinal plants are defined as feral and/or cultivated plants that, based on tradition and literature records, can be directly or indirectly used for medical purposes. The basis for this use is that these plants contain so called active ingredients (active principles or biologically active principles) that affect physiological (metabolic) processes of living organisms, including human beings. The plant Dracaena spicata has been used for the general promotion of health and longevity by Asian tribal (specially Chakma, Marma and Tanchunga). It is used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases cough, syphilis, conjunctivitis, constipation, pills prepared from the leaves are taken with warm water twice daily for the treatment of measles by the Chakma etc. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of dichloromethane (DCM) extract of Dracaena spicata. The test samples of D. spicata exhibited zone of inhibition ranging from 10 to 30.0 mm against the test organisms. The highest (30.0mm) zone of inhibition was demonstrated against Vibrio mimicus and Salmonella paratyphi. The brine shrimp lethality bioassay was performed to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of DCM extract of the Dracaena spicata by their brine shrimp lethality. From this test, the concentration required for killing 50% of the brine shrimp larva or LC50 of the DCM extract of the Dracaena spicata was calculated approximately as 29.0976 μg /mL with a R2 value of 0.8699. So, it is evident that the DCM extract of Dracaena spicata is mild to moderate cytotoxic as well as biologically active and also has high antimicrobial potentiality. This is only a preliminary study but the plant can be further screened against various diseases in order to find out its unexplored efficacy and can be a potential source of biologically important drug candidates. Still there are plenty of scopes to establish a variety of properties which can be significantly beneficial to mankind.