Antiprotozoal and antimicrobial activity of selected medicinal plants growing in Upper Egypt, Beni-Suef region.

Alcoholic extracts of fifty six plants cultivated in Beni-Suef Governorate (Egypt) were screened in vitro for their antiprotozoal and antimicrobial activities. Emblica officinalis, Quercus infectoria and Punica granatum were the most active as antimalarial with IC50 4.92, 2.51, 10.61μg/mL respectively against the chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium falciparum and IC50 3.1, 2, 7.4μg/mL respectively against chloroquine resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum. The extracts of Ricinus communi, Corchorus olitorius and Psidium guajava were the most active as antileishmanial and the percentage of inhibition were 91.4%, 90.9% and 90.3% respectively. The extract of Emblica officinalis, Punica granatum, Quercus infectoria, Ricinus communi, Tamarix nilotica, Camellia sinensis and Curcuma aromatic were active against Candida glabrata with IC50 <8, <8, <8, 52.25, 17.12, 45.3, 26.91 μg/mL respectively while the extract of Emblica officinalis, Quercus infectoria galls and Curcuma aromatica were the most active against Cryptococcus neoformans with IC50 10.8, <8, 50.6 μg/mL respectively. A good antibacterial activity against MRSA was shown by the ethanol extracts of Spinacia oleracea, Corchorus olitorius, Cyperus alopecuroids, and Sesamum indicum with IC50 13.5, 45.31, 18.73 and 19.32μg/mL respectively. Tannins and phenolic acids constituents of these plants proposed to be responsible for the activity through carbonic anhydrase inhibition. WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES SJIF Impact Factor 5.210 Volume 4, Issue 05, 1720-1740. Research Article ISSN 2278 – 4357 Article Received on 15 March 2015, Revised on 06 April 2015, Accepted on 27 April 2015 *Correspondence for Author Shimaa Mohammed Abdel Gawad Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, 62514, Egypt.