Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of Abroma augusta Lnn. leaves extract

Objective: To evaluate the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of acetone extract of leaves of Abroma augusta. Methods: Disc diffusion method was used to demonstrate antibacterial and antifungal activities. Cytotoxicity was determined against brine shrimp nauplii. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using serial dilution technique to determine antibacterial potency. Results: The extract showed significant antibacterial activities against three gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium and Staphylococcus aureus) and four gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella sonnei and Salmonella typhi) bacteria. The antifungal activity was found strong against five fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Rhizopus oryzae and Aspergillus fumigatus). In cytotoxicity determination, LC₅₀ of the extract against brine shrimp nauplii was 7.06μg/ml. Conclusions: The Abroma leaves extract may be consider as a potent antimicrobial and cytotoxic agent for further advance research.