Antibacterial Activity of Scoparia dulcis Extract on Uropathogenic Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Time immemorial, medicinal plants have been the source of various therapeutic agents. Scoparia dulcis is a well-known medicinal plant in India known for its immense potential in the treatment of the diabetes. Though the plant is used to treat only diabetes, it is also known to possess antibacterial properties. The antibacterial property of Scoparia dulcis against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus is of interest because these bacteria are the most common pathogens involved in urinary tract infections (UTI). In vitro antibacterial activity of the four extracts (petroleum ether, ethanol, chloroform, and acetone) was compared by means of agar well diffusion method. Further analysis was carried out with the ethanol extract exhibiting the highest antibacterial activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration was then determined by micro-dilution based method and found to be 510 mu g/ml for E. coli and 437 mu g/ml for S. aureus. The rate of killing of the uropathogens was also found by performing the modified method of time kill assay. Furthermore, morphological changes on the cell induced by the extract were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Scoparia dulcis is a potent inhibitor of both E. coli and S. aureus exhibiting bactericidal and bacteriostatic action respectively. The characterization of the bioactive components will help in determining the efficiency of the plant extract in being used as a commercial drug against urinary tract infections in future.