Comparative Analysis of Antimicrobial Activity of Acalypha indica and Argemone mexicana Ethanolic Extracts against Selected Bacterial Pathogens

“Originally published in JCPR Human Journals”.

ABSTRACT The rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major global health concern, necessitating the search for alternative antimicrobial agents from natural sources. Medicinal plants are recognized as valuable reservoirs of bioactive compounds with diverse pharmacological activities. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of Acalypha indica and Argemone mexicana against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well diffusion method. Fresh aerial parts of both plants were collected, shade-dried, powdered, and extracted with ethanol using Soxhlet extraction. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins, steroids, and other secondary metabolites in both extracts. Antibacterial activity was determined by measuring the zone of inhibition and compared with the standard antibiotic streptomycin. The ethanolic extract of Acalypha indica exhibited greater antibacterial activity against E. coli, whereas Argemone mexicana showed moderate activity against both bacterial pathogens. The observed antibacterial activity may be attributed to the synergistic action of phytochemical constituents present in the extracts. The findings support the traditional medicinal use of these plants and indicate that Acalypha indica possesses comparatively higher antibacterial potential. Further studies involving isolation of active compounds, determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), toxicity evaluation, and in vivo investigations are recommended to validate their therapeutic applications.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Acalypha indica; Argemone mexicana; Ethanolic extract; Phytochemicals; Escherichia coli; Staphylococcus aureus.