Abstract

STUDIES ON PRELIMINARY PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF ACACIA CATECHU(L.) WILLD. AGAINST POULTRY PATHOGENS

* B.Kayathri, P.Kavitha and A.Panneerselvam

Abstract

Acacia catechu, commonly known as catechu, cachou and black cutch is an important medicinal plant and an economically important forest tree. A. catechu has a great importance due to it is medicinal properties. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of leaf extracts of A. catechu reveals the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, proteins, sterols, saponins, tannins and terpenoids. The antimicrobial efficacy of acetone, distilled water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, methanol and n-Butyl alcohol extracts of A. catechu were analyzed by agar well diffusion method. The methanolic leaf extract of A. catechu exhibited maximum activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella pullorum, Trichophyton megnini and Aspergillus fumigatus. Among the six extracts tested, methanol extract showed significant antimicrobial activity against the poultry pathogens.

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