Antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of the methanolic extracts of Rhododendron arboreum

The antibacterial activity of the methanolic extract of various parts of Rhododendron arboreum such as flowers, leaves, bark, stem and roots were investigated against medically important pathogens by determining the zone inhibition. The result showed that the extract had good antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial strains such asEscherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilus and Salmonella typhi. All parts showed low to significant antibacterial activity against the mentioned bacterial strains. The cytotoxicity of the crude methanolic extracts of various parts of R. arboreum was evaluated against Artemia salina at 1000, 100 and 10 µg/ml. All parts showed significant activity at concentration of 1000 µg/ml, good activity at 100 µg/ml and no activity at 10 µg/ml, againstA. salina. This study shows a broad spectrum and great therapeutic potential of the plant with the ability to attract significant scientific attention.   Key words: Antibacterial activity, Rhododendron arboreum, inhibition zones, cytotoxicity,Artemia salina.