NOVEL PHYTOMEDICINE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the prime diseases affecting urinary tract, which is principally caused by bacteria. The management of UTI is mainly done by antibiotics. Continued allopathic treatment with various antibiotics may cause side effects, furthermore it is also known that bacteria causing infection can develop resistance to the existing antibiotics that have been prescribed, if the medication is used for a long time. Considering this situation, it is relevant to search for an alternative management, which is effective, safe and economical. Various medicinal plants and herbs are described in Ayurveda for the treatment of UTI. As medicinal plants have a long history and are proven to be very effective in preventing and treating infections, present investigation was taken up using a medicinal plant Inula racemosa Hook. F. for the management of UTIs. The present study investigated the antimicrobial potential of medicinal plants against two most resistant gram negative urinary tract pathogens; Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. Methanolic as well as chloroform crude plant extracts were examined for their antimicrobial activity and results showed high antimicrobial potential. Anti-bacterial response was observed in dose-dependent manner in both the extracts used i.e., with increasing dosage antibacterial response increased. This study indicates that this crude plant extracts can be a good source of antimicrobial compounds and can lead to the development of novel broad spectrum antibiotics in future.