Antiurobacterial Activity of Punica granatum L. Seed Extract

The natural products derived from medicinal plants are proven to be the abundant source of biologically active compounds, which have been the basis of development of new pharmaceuticals. The present study was carried out to understand the antibacterial activity of methanolic extract of Punica granatum L. seed (MPG) against the clinically isolated urinary tract infections (UTI) causing bacteria i.e. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae using different methods i.e. disc diffusion, agar well diffusion, modified agar well diffusion. Colony forming units per ml (CFU/ml) were also determined for wild and MPG treated bacteria by spread plate and absorbance method. Phytochemical analysis of MPG and biochemical characterization of K. pneumoniae and E. coli was carried out using a standard protocol. MPG was a dark red colour sticky mass with a yield of 26.87% (w/w). Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of steroids, tannins, coumarins, glycosides, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. The present investigation showed that MPG was effective against K. pneumoniae and E. coli. K. pneumoniae was a multi-drug resistant strain, found to be more sensitive to MPG in comparison to E. coli. The CFU/ml was found to be reduced in a dose-dependent manner in MPG treated urobacteria, which suggests that P. granatum seeds can be used as a remedy for UTI and also can be taken regularly to prevent the recurrence of UTI.