Antimicrobial Activity and Phytochemical Evaluation of Neolamarckia cadamba Leaf Extract

The present research work involves evaluation of the antimicrobial properties and phytochemical composition of Neolamarckia cadamba leaf extracts. Mature leaves were collected, processed, and extracted using distilled water as the solvent through maceration for seven days. The extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against five pathogenic bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Salmonella typhi using the agar cup plate diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 0.1 to 5 mg/mL, with significant inhibition zones observed at concentrations of 100 and 200 µg/mL. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds including alkaloids (confirmed through Wagner's, Dragendorff's, and Mayer's tests), saponins (foam test), phenolic compounds (ferric chloride test), and proteins and amino acids (Million's and ninhydrin tests). The antimicrobial efficacy was compared with standard antibiotics gentamycin and tetracycline. The aqueous extract showed considerable inhibitory activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with maximum inhibition observed against E. coli and S. aureus. These results show that N. cadamba leaf extracts possess significant antimicrobial properties, potentially attributable to the synergistic effects of the identified phytochemical constituents