Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Lepidium sativum Linn. Seeds against Food-borne Pathogens

The seeds of Lepidium sativum Linn. (Family Cruciferae) were investigated for their antimicrobial activity against food borne bacteria. The active constituents of the dried powdered seeds were extracted using solvents viz., chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and dichloromethane. The antibacterial activities of the concentrated extracts were evaluated by agar well diffusion method. The methanol extract showed the effective antibacterial activity against the pathogens used in this study. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were also determined for most active extract by tube dilution method and subculturing method respectively. The MIC values of the methanol extract ranged from 1.56 mg/ml to 25.0 mg/ml whereas the MBC values ranged from 6.25 mg/ml to 25.0 mg/ml. These results suggest the potential use of the seeds of Lepidium sativum for the control of infectious diseases from food poisoning. However, more adequate toxicological study must be carried out to verify the possibility of using it for fighting pathogenic microorganisms in human.