Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Tamarind (Tamarindus Indica) Against Escherichia coli Isolated from Random Stool Sample

Tamarindus indica commonly known as tamarind is a tropical tree that has been traditionally used in various medicinal preparation. This present study was aimed to investigate the photochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of aqueous and ethanolic extract of Tamarindus indica leaves extract against Escherichia coli. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, and absence of glycoside and steroids. The antibacterial activity of the extract was carried out using agar well diffusion method. The antibacterial activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Tamarindus indica leaf at concentrations of 100, 50, 25, 12.5 mg/ml showed the zone of inhibition for Escherichia coli in response to the extracts ranged from 14-9 mm and 18-10 mm respectively. The ethanolic extract shows the maximum zone of inhibition of (18mm at concentration of 100mg/ml) while the aqueous extract shows the least inhibitory effect on test isolates (9 mm at concentration of 12.5 mg/ml). The MIC of aqueous and ethanolic leaves extract on E. coli is 12.5 mg/ml. The MBC of aqueous and ethanolic leaves extract on E. coli is 100 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml respectively. This result indicates that Tamarindus indica leave have antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli due to some secondary metabolites it possesses. Therefore, T. indica leaves could be promising natural antibacterial agent with potential applications in pharmaceutical industries for controlling of pathogenic bacteria used in this work.