Antimicrobial activity of some bryophytes (liverworts and a hornwort) from Kolhapur district

The in vitro antibacterial activity of the extracts of the bryophytes was assessed using agar-well diffusion method against three bacterial strains. The bryophyte extracts were prepared in methanol and dichloromethane. Inhibition of bacterial growth was compared with that of ampicillin and tetracycline as positive control and solvents as negative control. The methanol and dichloromethane extracts of Plagiochasma intermedium, Asterella wallichiana and Targionia hypophylla had potential activity against all the microorganisms tested. The dichloromethane extract of P. intermedium, methanol extracts of A. wallichiana and T. hypophylla also showed good results. Among all the bryophytes investigated for in vitro antimicrobial activity the extracts of T. hypophylla showed most promising results than that of all others while the extracts of Cyathodium cavernarum was rather inactive.