Antibacterial and antimutagenic activities of Dillenia indica extracts

In the present study, the antibacterial and antimutagenic activities of the fruit and bark extracts of Dillenia indica were evaluated and the effect of their inhibitory concentrations on cell wall, nucleic acid leakage and pathogenic genes of the bacteria was studied. The fruit and bark extracts obtained by 70% aqueous acetone extraction showed minimum inhibitory concentration (using agar dilution method) against different bacteria in the range of 2000–10,000 and 1250–5000 mg l−1, respectively, indicating higher antibacterial activity for bark extract. At 500 μg/plate concentration, bark extract showed significantly (p<0.01) higher antimutagenic activity in Ames test against the sodium azide induced mutation in Salmonella tester strain (TA-1531). Both the extracts showed statistically similar but strong antimutagenic activity at or above 1500 μg/plate concentration. The ability of these extracts to cause the disintegration of cell wall and leakage of genetic material is most likely to be the factor for their antibacterial activity. Further the extracts were able to inhibit the pathogenic genes present in tested bacteria. The fruit and bark extracts did not show any hemolysis at and below 2500 and 5000 mg l−1 concentration, respectively. The D. indica fruit and bark aqueous acetone extract may find application in foods and pharmaceuticals owing to their inhibitory properties.