Comparison of Antibacterial Properties of Solvent Extracts of Different Parts of Jatropha curcas (Linn)

Recent reports have suggested the urgent need for the development of alternative antibacterial substancesof natural origin for the treatment of infections because of the growing cases of bacterial resistance tomany available synthetic antibiotics. Jatropha curcas (J. curcas) belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae andhas been widely reported for its medicinal values. It is used in traditional folklore medicine to cure variousailments such as skin infections, gonorrhoea, and jaundice and fever. Almost every part of J. curcas hasbeen reported to have medicinal importance. In the present study, the aqueous, ethanol and pet-etherextracts of the root, stem bark and leaves of J. curcas were evaluated in vitro for antibacterial activitiesusing Salmonella typhi (S.typhi) and Escherichia Coli (E.coli) as test organisms. The results werecompared in order to identify the extract with the strongest growth inhibition properties. Preliminaryphytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of bioactive compounds with demonstratedantimicrobial properties. The ethanol extracts showed superior antibacterial activities compared with boththe aqueous and pet-ether extracts. The root, stem bark and leaf ethanol extracts demonstrated comparableantibacterial activities against S. typhi and E. coli. Thus the root, stem bark and leaf of J. curcas arepotential candidates in the search for potent antibacterial agents from medicinal plants.