Comparative Brine Shrimp Toxicity of Withenia somnifera and Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium Extracts and In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of W. Somnifera

Abstract

This study reports on the bioactivity and in vitro antimicrobial action of methanol extract of Withania somnifera using in vitro cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The extract of W. somniferum inhibited the growth of S. aureus and C. albicans but not E. coli, S. typhimurium and P. aeruginosa. The diameters of the zones of inhibitions of microbial growth ranged from 14 mm to 16 mm. The results of antimicrobial testing of W. somnifera extract indicated that it has antimicrobial properties, which support its continued use as a herbal remedy. Comparative toxicity of extracts of W. somnifera and Chrysananthemum cinerariaefolium (pyrethrum plant) was done using the brine shrimp
lethality test at serial dilutions of 1000 μg/ml, 100 μg/ ml and 10 μg/ml. The median lethal concentration (LC50) for each extract was determined. Both plant extracts were found to be toxic to brine shrimp with LC50 of 110.3 μg/ml and 106.6 μg/ml for W. somnifera and C. cinerarieafolium respectively.

Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 30 (2) 2006: pp. 53-56